Crescent Moon
by Twilightobssessor
Summary: Bella and Edward are getting married. How will Bella's family react? Will Edward change her? My version of Twilight's fourth book. Want to know what happens? Check it out here!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Chapter One

It was a dreary day outside, exactly the kind of days I like most. Edward had been gone for a week on a hunting trip with Jasper and Carlisle and was finally able to come home.

Since agreeing to marry him he has been busy with making plans and writing invitations, which are tasks I passed onto him. I've been trying to act excited for him and Alice and everyone else but sometimes I find myself slipping up, a comment here or there but I've gotten better at recovering from those slip-ups. Alice hasn't left me alone for a second but I don't mind, I love having her around, she is so full of life its hard to be down when she's around. Any minute now and Edward will be coming to the door and I will be able to run into his arms once more. I thought knowing he will be with me forever would make our time apart much easier but it seems to have made it more unbearable. The only thing that gets me through the day is knowing that I will soon be one of them and I will never have to worry about him leaving me for all eternity.

"Bella, Edward is here!" Charlie called, exactly what I was waiting for. I rushed for the bedroom door but by the time I got there Edward was already standing there with open arms smiling that perfect crooked smile, my heart gave a big leap and he heard it.

"Nice to see you too." And with that I was in his arms and on the bed before I knew what was happening. He leaned down and he put his lips to mine, but the kiss ended all too soon for me. "How has your week been, I'm surprised you survived without me to look after you."

"Well you didn't exactly leave me unprotected. Alice has been over everyday, much to Charlie's enjoyment," she had shown up everyday in order to go over wedding plans. What flowers to have, where to hold the reception and she helped finalize the guest list, which is now ten times as many people as I had first wanted. "So how was the hunt? Did you find any good mountain lions or just the usual elk?"

"I'd rather not talk about hunting, you know that, not my favourite topic. Were you and Alice able to finish up with the final decisions for the wedding? And have you told Charlie yet?" Darn, just the question I was trying to avoid.

"Well, not exactly, I was going to get to it earlier but then I got distracted," sometimes him not being able to read my mind comes in handy. In all reality I had plenty of time to do it and I hadn't thought of anything else in who knows how long. Charlie and Renee had always hoped that I wouldn't make the same mistake they did, marrying early. It would be a great disappointment for them to hear I was marrying my first boyfriend at the age of eighteen.

"Bella, you need to tell Charlie, I will do it with you if you want, but we are getting married in two weeks and he needs to be there to walk you down the aisle. Now he is in a relatively good mood today so lets go downstairs right now and tell him. I will stay beside you the whole time and listen in to his thoughts to make sure everything is fine, just like I'm sure it will be." Then he stared into my eyes and he released the full power of them, all I could say was, "ok."

The whole way down the stairs I went over what I was going to say in my head. This was not going to be a simple task, ever since Edward first left me Charlie has less than fully approved of our relationship and hearing that I was planning on marrying him is probably the last thing he wants to hear. As we approached the kitchen I could hear the sound of the basketball game on and that made my heart beat faster. I was so close to telling my father I was planning on getting married in a couple of weeks, what would he say?

"Hey Bells, is that you?" Charlie at least sounded calm.

"Yes dad, can we talk to you for a minute? It's kind of important." Uh oh, there's that face I feared, the, oh no what has she gotten herself into now face, there goes his good mood. I looked up at Edward and I could tell he was reading Charlie's thoughts and not liking what he was hearing.

"Sure honey, what's up?" the fakest casual tone I have ever heard in my life.

"Well dad, I don't really know where to start so I'm going to get right to the point. Edward and I have gotten really close in this last year and, well, he has asked me to marry him and I have said yes." As I said this Charlie's face turned from a nice peach to bright purple. And then came the fireworks.

"NO WAY! No daughter of mine is going to make the same mistake I did. How do you know he won't leave you like he did the last time, when things get tough? Bella this is a mistake and I will not let you make the same mistake your mother and I made. He is your first boyfriend, you need to play the field before making a commitment." Exactly what I was afraid of, but now my temper was boiling.

"Dad, I don't need to "play the field", I love Edward and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. We are getting married in two weeks and I would like if you would walk me down the aisle, but if you can't or won't I still plan on becoming his wife." And with that I was out the door with Edward close at my side.

"Thank you Bella, I know that was hard but it's for the best, really." But he stopped talking right there and scooped me up into his arms because I was all out crying. "Do you want to come back to my place for awhile? At least till Charlie cools off a little bit?" All I could do was nod, and with that we were in his car speeding, as usual, back to one of my favourite places in the whole world.

As we pulled up to the white house, Alice came bounding out the front door yelling something I couldn't make out but that Edward chuckled at. "She's excited that you're coming for a sleepover, just a warning."

"Oh, great…" sleepovers for Alice always mean dressing me up like a Barbie doll. "Can you hear any of the plans she has cooked up for me?"

"Oh, yeah, you're going to enjoy yourself tonight, unless you wanted to spend the night with me in the huge bed that I bought for you and you've only slept in once, then I may be able to cancel the plans she has for you." He always seemed to know what I was thinking even though I know he can't read my mind.

"Well after what I just went through, I would rather spend the night with you, if you don't mind, we need to talk. I need you to reassure me that this is the right thing to do, I love you with all of my heart but the look on Charlie's face is eating me up inside. I can't believe how much that news must have hurt him, but I know it was the right thing to do." Now only if I really believed that.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As we entered the white house I finally felt like I was home. Just like always Esme, Carlisle, Jasper and Alice were there to meet us in the front hall. Esme and Carlisle both came and gave me a big hug and kiss but Jasper, as always, kept his distance. I know that he will be the most relieved after my transformation. Ever since the instance on my birthday, Jasper has felt less than comfortable being close to me, and Edward always ensured that we stayed a safe distance apart.

All I could hear at the moment was the quiet hum of those around me; they were all talking far too fast for my average human ears to comprehend. From the look on their faces I could tell that Edward was explaining what had just occurred back at my house. Alice looked somewhat disappointed that she would not be able to have one of our usual sleepovers but she seemed to understand. As soon as the conversation seemed to have ended, everyone went their separate ways. Edward scooped me into his arms and carried me to his room with lightning speed. Before I knew it we were in his room with the door closed and I was cradled on his lap on the bed.

"So what's on your mind? You were quiet in the car." I caught the hint of anxiety, "you aren't getting cold feet about marrying me are you?" he really did look like he believed that was the reason for my distress.

"Of course I'm not getting cold feet, Edward, I love you and I want to be your wife." His face calmed at the word, wife, and he bent down and pressed his lips to mine. Although I have managed to control my emotional urges to a degree, my heart always increases in speed when he does that and I have to restrain myself from throwing myself at him. Luckily, this time I was able to sit there nicely while he kissed me for a good minute, I didn't want it to end. He gave a little chuckle. As he pulled away, I could tell he wanted an explanation as to what was bothering me. "What is really bothering me is Charlie's reaction to the situation. I want him to be happy for me and I don't know if that will be possible. You know what was in his head, do you think he will come around?"

"Bella, your father loves you more than you may know. When we went to talk to him he wasn't expecting the information he was given, we caught him by surprise. Every father waits and looks forward to the day they get to walk their daughter down the aisle, he will be there, I promise." He seemed sure enough in his answer so I let that issue leave my mind, but there was something else bothering me.

"Do you know if he was planning on calling Renee? I haven't told her yet and she should probably hear it from us, if not at least me." His face dropped and a look came across his face that was full of disappointment. I was supposed to call Renee while Edward was on his hunt.

"You haven't called her! Charlie got on the phone to her the minute we left the house! How could you do this to your mother Bella? You know how she takes this kind of information." I could tell he was trying to find a solution to this problem that I had just created, luckily, I had a plan.

"We may need to take a trip to Phoenix; it's not safe for my mother to get on the road when she is in an irrational state and I'm sure she will want to talk to us. It's best if we sit down with her and Phil to discuss everything, although I doubt she will be any more understanding. Do you think we can get plane tickets and be there by this afternoon or would it be faster to drive?" He seemed to consider this, but then Edward turned his attention towards the door, someone was obviously there waiting to come in, someone I hadn't heard, Edward smiled that crooked smile that I loved so much.

"Come in Alice," and she was in the door before I had even realized why Edward had turned his attention to the door, she didn't look happy.

"You can't go to Phoenix Bella! We have so much more planning to do for the wedding. Why couldn't you have just told your mother before and then this wouldn't be an issue!" she had obviously had a vision as soon as Edward and I had made the decision to make a trip to Phoenix.

"Alice, what more could there possibly be to plan? This wedding isn't going to be that big a deal, just a few close friends and family coming to watch the ceremony and have some dinner." This was one slip up I could not get out of, Alice's face dropped and then became angry.

"Not a big deal! Bella, this is your wedding day we are talking about! I may not remember being human, but I do know that a girl's wedding day is supposed to be the most important day of her life. For you to sit there and say it is not a big deal is almost an insult to those of us who don't get to have those memories." I could tell she was hurt and I was afraid she wasn't going to back down until I agreed wholeheartedly that she was right. But then they both turned their looks towards the door, they had heard an approach that my ears were not sensitive enough to hear. Then there was a knock.

It was Esme. "Alice, what are you yelling at poor Bella for?" I could always count on her to stick up for me; she treated me just like the rest of them, like her children. "Bella, is everything ok, do you want to talk about anything?" she came and put her hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine really, I shouldn't have said that the wedding isn't important, I know it is, it's just…" I trailed off because I had caught a glimpse of Alice's face, she had a blank stare that usually went with one of her visions, "Alice, what is it? Is it Renee? Is she ok?"

Alice came out of her trance, "Yes, Renee is fine. She is getting on a plane for Forks as we speak. She will be here around three." Three! That is only forty minutes from now.

"Edward, we need to get to the airport to meet mom. If she gets behind the wheel of her car I'm afraid we'll be going to a funeral rather than a wedding!" as I looked around I was surprised to see how calm they all were. How could they always manage to stay so calm in situations like this?

"Bella, it's fine. It will take us five minutes to get to the airport so just relax, we have all the time in the world." He was right, with the way he drives the normally hour-long car ride would take us a mere minutes, which calmed me down to a degree. Now all I had to worry about was what I was going to tell Renee.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We left the house at quarter to three to ensure that we would be there on time even if her plane landed early. On the drive to the airport Edward and I went over our final plan of attack, exactly how we were going to get Renee to agree to our marriage. In the end we decided it would be best to leave me with the talking. Edward would listen in on my mother's thoughts and direct me in the proper questions that I needed to address.

As we pulled into the parking lot my heart began to race, I didn't want to deal with two angry and hurt parents in one day. Edward leaned over and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips and as I was recovering from it and unbuckling my seatbelt he flew around the car and opened my door for me. His supernatural speed never ceases to amaze me. He pulled me out of the car and shut the door, grabbing my waist and pulling me close. Having him near me gave me a sense of safety and calmed my nerves.

When we entered the airport we went and studied the arrival board, Renee's plane was to get off at terminal four and the board stated that the plane was already on the tarmac. We rushed towards the terminal and got there just as people began to get off the plane, Renee was the second one off. As I had thought she was in shambles and looked completely irrational, I called her and she turned in our direction.

"Bella, what do you think you are doing? How did you know I was coming? Did your father tell you? How did you get here so quickly? How could you not tell me about this?" I knew if I let her continue we would be standing here for days and people were beginning to stare. It was obvious that Edward was trying to understand everything going on in my mother's mind, but I could tell he wasn't having much luck.

"Mom, why don't we go and grab a coffee at the airport's Starbucks, that way we can talk about this calmly and get out of the middle of everything." She just nodded and followed closely behind us.

"Your mom wants to know if you really love me and if I will leave you. She also wants to know if you are pregnant and that is why we are getting married. There are some other questions too but I can't really make out what they are." He said all of this in a whisper he knew would be loud enough for me but too quiet for Renee to understand.

When we reached the Starbucks, Edward went to get the coffee while mom and I searched for a table that was quiet enough for us to talk. Once Edward returned I got right into answering the questions that I now knew were on her mind. It was always best when dealing with Renee to get all of your thoughts out before letting her ask the questions and make interruptions.

"Mom, I know that this comes as a surprise to you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I couldn't think of the right things to say. I know that Edward is my first boyfriend and that you and dad believe that I am just a lovesick teenager but I'm not. I love Edward with all of my heart and I don't think I could ever live without him. Last year when he left me I think we made it pretty clear that being apart is unhealthy and completely insane. Now I know you may believe there is a reason for the hasty decision but the truth is I want to be with Edward forever and this will ensure it. In the case that there were a divorce, which will never happen, we are not planning on having children so it would be clean and simple." I could tell she was listening intently to everything I was saying and from the look on Edward's face I could tell that I was getting through to her. "Mom, I know that your worry comes from the fear that my marriage to Edward will end as yours did to dad but that won't happen. I am marrying Edward in two weeks time whether you are there or not but if you don't come I will be very disappointed. I will not let your mistakes stop me from becoming his wife." Edward seemed to enjoy my use of that word.

As I looked at my mother I could tell that at least some of what I had said calmed her. All we had to wait for now was her answer, and by the smile on Edward's face I could tell we were going to get the response we were looking for. "Bella, I see where you are coming from and I plan on being at your wedding. However, I still do not fully condone such an early marriage and I wish that you would wait." She was so calm I almost didn't believe her. Ever since I was little mom had been the overprotective irrational one that never would have let me make this mistake and now she was fully for it. I got up and gave her a big hug and kiss.

"Thank you mom, you have no idea how much it means to me that you will be there!" it was a relief to have at least one parent on my side, maybe she would be able to convince my father to change his mind, that is, if they could stand to be around each other for more than a minute at a time. Which raised an even bigger question in my mind as we walked back to the car; where is mom going to stay while she is in Forks?

I decided to put the question to Edward before asking mom what she thought. He was bound to have some kind of plan. I leaned over and asked him in a voice I knew only his ears could hear. "Edward, where are we going to bring mom to stay until the wedding?" he seemed to consider it for a minute, then he tightened his grip on my hand and I knew he had a plan.

As we climbed into the car and started to drive away the conversations were pretty much at a standstill. Edward finally broke the silence when he asked mom, "Renee, if you don't have any place to stay during your time in Forks you are welcome to come and live at my parents place with Bella and I." This statement caught me by surprise, I hadn't realized that he was going to let me live with him. The thought hadn't even entered my mind. I turned to look at him and he was smiling at me. I looked in the mirror to see mom's reaction to the offer and she seemed to have difficulty with his statement, then came the questioning we had been waiting for.

"Edward, did you say Bella is living at your place? You two aren't sharing a room, let alone a bed are you, because I don't agree with that, not at your ages. And are you sure that your folks have room to put the two of us up for the next couple of weeks, where would we sleep?" I could tell she was going to continue asking questions until he interrupted and he came to the realization at the same time.

"Well, to answer your questions in order, yes, Bella is going to stay at our place for now in order to give Charlie some time to cool off. While living at our home Bella stays in my room and I sleep in my brother Emmett's room. You can have my sister Rosalie's room until her and Emmett return from their honeymoon in Alaska and after that you can move into my room and I will bring Bella back home." He seemed to have an answer for everything she asked him.

"Now Edward," mom was obviously looking to find out more about the family and her future son in law in general, she had that tone, "you said your brother and sister were on their honeymoon, which one are you actually related to? And how many brothers and sisters do you have? I just want to get a feel for your family life and get to know you better."

Since Edward was required to drive the speed limit the car ride took the full hour, though I doubt mom would have noticed the speed he was going with the constant questions she put to him. They covered almost every topic other than the obvious; the fact that the Cullen's were vampires, which we all prayed she would remain ignorant of. The whole drive I simply sat back and let Edward answer the questions, he was much better at it then I could ever be. It was a relief when we finally turned the corner on the road that led to my future home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As we pulled up to the white house I knew what the expression on my mother's face would be before I actually saw it. To the average person the house that the Cullen's lived in was a mansion. Right now, to me, it was home, and I was happy to be back.

Edward, being the gentleman he is, went and opened the car door for mom. She seemed to appreciate the gesture. To Renee men were supposed to act like that and right now anything Edward could do to assure her he was the right guy for me was a step in the right direction. As we walked in the door it was obvious to both Edward and myself that the family had been aware of our arrival before we had even left the airport parking lot, we had Alice to thank for that. The normally clean white home was even cleaner than I thought humanly possible and there was a smell of homemade cooking coming from the direction of the kitchen. Edward seemed to understand exactly what was happening. I on the other hand had no idea how a family of vampires was going to manage to hide what they were for two weeks straight.

Just as I was about to call Esme in to meet my mother she turned the corner from the direction of the kitchen. "Hello, you must be Renee. Bella has told us so much about you; I'm Esme, Edward's mother. Dinner should be ready shortly so if you would like to have a seat in the living room I will call you when its time to eat. You must be starving after all that travelling." She turned and left us to lead mom to the living room.

"I'm starving!" I looked up at Edward, his eyes were a dark butterscotch today which told me that this statement was simply an act that he was putting on for Renee, I decided to play along, not that I had to act.

"Yeah, me too. I haven't eaten since before our little chat with Charlie this morning." I could already tell that tonight would be a night of new sights and I was looking forward to it.

We sat in the living room for about twenty minutes where Edward was subjected to more of mom's questions. Finally, Esme called us into the dining room for dinner. As we walked in I could see Jasper, Carlisle, Alice and Esme already seated at the table with heaping plates of mashed potatoes and roast beef in front of them. The three of us took our seats, mom on my left and Edward on my right and Carlisle to mom's left.

After we were all seated Carlisle announced, "Let's eat!" I picked up my fork but waited to start, I was interested to see what my family of vampires would do. How far would they go in this little charade? As I looked around I was surprised to see all of them pick up their forks and dig into the meal, which I knew they found absolutely disgusting. Their fake smiles and mmmm's and ahhh's may have fooled Renee but for me it was all quite funny, it was all so fake. I even let out a cry of laughter, which I tried to cover up and was unsuccessful.

"What is so funny Bella?" Edward was staring at me, and I could see that he enjoyed that I found their little play so comical. "I thought you said you were starving, now eat up or I'll have to eat your plate too, can't have good food going to waste." I knew I would enjoy this evening.

Once dinner was finished the guys all moved to the living room where they waited until the girls were all finished doing the dishes. When they were done we joined the guys in the living room where the Cullen's told Renee about themselves and helped us to assure her that I was safe in entering a marriage with their son. After a long discussion Renee and myself began to show signs of fatigue and so the Cullen family put on yet another play for me to enjoy.

Alice let out a big yawn and explained; "I'm really tired, I think I'm going to turn in if you don't mind, Jasper are you coming?" he nodded and followed. After that everyone else followed suit and went their separate ways. Edward showed mom the way to Rosalie's room while I got ready for bed and came to meet me in his room after he was sure that Renee was asleep.

"Hey, you didn't make our little charade any easier Bella, it was all we could all do to keep a straight face. I still don't understand how you guys enjoy that mush, it was disgusting." He smiled his crooked smile and I leaped at him, it had been far too long since it had been just the two of us, I couldn't take it anymore. He carried me back to the bed and placed me in his lap, he didn't make me stop kissing him and I was glad. I finally pulled back. "What?"

"Nothing, I love you, you know that? Your family did amazing today, I didn't know what to expect when we all sat down to dinner, you're acting skills are not very good at all." He laughed and I knew he agreed. "So is this what is going to happen every night that Renee is here? We can't expect your family to put on that charade every night, I could tell it was torture for you guys to eat all of that."

His forehead creased with concentration, "Your right, I don't think we can do that every night. We'll figure something out. Now it's time for bed, you have a long couple of weeks ahead of you and I want my wife well rested for our wedding day." With that he pulled me under the covers and wrapped his arms around me. Before I knew it I was fast asleep.

That night I dreamt about our wedding, Edward was there but behind the scenes I saw what looked like cloaked figures. As we said our vows everything went black and I woke up screaming, for some reason the dream scared me more than any other dream ever had. The second I began to scream Edward had me in his arms held close. "It's ok Bella, I'm right here, it was just a bad dream." I looked into his face and something was troubling him but what could it be?

"Are you ok? You look like something is bothering you."

"I'm fine, what was so scary about your dream? You were tossing and turning everywhere, it looked like you were having a seizure, I've never seen you act like that in your sleep." His face was filled with worry.

"It was about our wedding," his face became frustrated, he always hated that he couldn't read my mind for the main reason that he couldn't know immediately what I was thinking. "We were having a great day but all throughout there were hooded people standing in the background and then it all went dark. I think it just caught me by surprise." As I looked at his face I could tell he understood more about the dream than I did and though I wanted answers he assured me that if I went back to sleep he would explain everything later, and so I let myself drift back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I woke up early the next morning to an empty room. Where was Edward? Just as I began to get nervous he walked through the door, fully clothed, a smile on his face.

"Good morning sleepy head, how'd you sleep?" What time was it? I looked over at the clock, it read 12:30. I jumped out of bed.

"I slept well thanks. Why did you let me sleep in so late? Where is mom?" He came over to me and bent down to kiss my collar bone, he breathed his sweet scent on me and I was lost in a daze for almost a minute. When I finally came out of my trance like state I was calm, like I had no cares in the world. Then I remembered my dream. "Edward, last night when I woke up you seemed to have understood something in my dream that I didn't, something that was bothering you."

He considered this and I could tell I wasn't going to get an answer today. "Bella, its nothing, really, the dream just got me thinking but I have discussed it with Carlisle and he assures me that there isn't anything to worry about. Our wedding day will be perfect, I promise." He seemed sure enough but I still had my doubts, I decided to let it drop for now. My stomach began to grumble at that time and Edward scooped me up and carried me to the kitchen, sliding me into the chair.

As he made me some lunch I realized someone was missing, "Where is mom?" I hadn't seen her and she wasn't usually the type of person to sleep in, she was an early bird.

"Alice had a little something to do with that." I could tell from that statement alone that mom was going to have a very fun day. "She took your mom to the church to show her where we are getting married and after that they were going to go for lunch and talk over some more of the wedding plans, Esme went with them too. They wanted to give us some time to ourselves." That was all I could ask at the moment. I didn't really feel like dealing with Renee at the moment, all I wanted was Edward.

"So what do we have planned for the day?" Edward had gotten much better at cooking over the past few months and he placed a steaming plate of ham and eggs in front of me, I dug in while I awaited his answer.

He came and sat in front of me at the table. There was something about his face that told me we were about to have a serious conversation, he looked nervous.

"Bella, I know that this wedding is coming much faster than you would like and I know that you aren't exactly excited about it but I have a request for you. Something I was hoping you would do for me." I looked at him uncomprehendingly, what was he getting at? "On our wedding day I want to make it as special as possible and I think that if we wrote our own vows it would make the day more personal for the both of us." I could tell that this was something he really wanted and he looked at me with almost pleading eyes, he barely ever showed his vulnerable side.

"Of course we can write our own vows. Edward, this is not just my wedding, it isn't all about me, it's about us. If you want us to write our vows of course I will, I will do anything for you and you know that." I could see the relief wash across his face; it was obviously something he had been thinking about for awhile. He walked over and gave me a big hug and brushed his lips from my head down to my lips.

As we pulled apart a big smile broke over his face, "well now that is over we can have some fun." He pulled me out of the seat with amazing grace and pulled me towards the front door.

"Where are we going?" the only answer I got was a wistful smile in my direction.

Once we were outside he hauled me onto his back and he began to run. I can still remember a time when this action terrified me and made me sick. Now it gave me a thrill every time we ran together, so free, so full of life. Before long I knew exactly where we were going. As soon as we emerged into the clearing Edward came to a stop and let me unlatch myself from his back. This would always be our special place, the wedding reception was to be held here and of course there would be tents, in case of sun.

"Nice surprise? I thought it would be nice to spend the day together without any chance of interruption or distraction." He lay down on the grass and motioned for me to join him. As I sat down he pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me, if we spent the whole day like this I wouldn't mind.

"I wouldn't want to do anything else today than spend the day with you." I looked up into his eyes and kissed him gently on the lips. I was trying to figure out if there was a reason that he wanted to be free from distraction and interruption. As I looked back at his face I could tell he was getting frustrated by my silence, I decided to explain in order to take him out of his misery. "I'm just trying to figure out if there is a reason behind our time here."

"Does there need to be a reason for me wanting to spend time with my future wife?" it was a question he didn't mean to have answered so I stayed quiet and let him finish, there obviously was. "The thing is, I'm afraid that you are rushing into something you are not ready for. Marriage is a big deal! I'm just wondering if you will be able to handle it all."

"I'm fine, really. There is nothing I want more than to be your wife. Yes, I always saw myself marrying when I was older but right now all that matters is that you are with me forever and that I am transformed before I hit twenty." He flinched at the mention of my transformation. The deal was that if I married him he would be the one to transform me and I wasn't going to let him back out of the deal, no matter how against it he was.

We spent the remainder of the day sitting together in the clearing discussing things that had been on our minds. At the odd time wedding plans would be brought up and we would discuss them but I usually steered us away from the topic not long after. The day passed quickly until around the time that my stomach betrayed me and Edward suggested we head home and get something to eat. I climbed onto his back and we were home within minutes.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As we walked in the door the aroma of cinnamon spread through the house. Esme must have been cooking because Alice and Renee were seated in the living room surrounded by shopping bags.

"Hey Hun, what were you and Edward up to today? We missed you on our shopping trip. Edward said it would be best to let you sleep, I hope you don't mind." She didn't really look like she cared whether I minded or not, she couldn't take her eyes off of all the clothes that were surrounding her.

"What, did you guys buy out the store? What could you two possibly do with all these clothes?" I was in shock; I knew mom didn't have the kind of money to be out buying all these things so I figured the Cullen's had pulled the money out of their own pockets.

"Well Bella, your mother didn't have anything to wear here in Forks, all she had were summer clothes fit for LA so we decided to take her to get some more fitting clothes. Oh, and we needed to go in search of the perfect dress that she can wear to the wedding, it's not everyday a woman gets to be the Mother of the Bride." Alice looked overly excited. She loved when she got to dress me up like a Barbie doll and today she actually had someone willing to let her do so. "Edward, I hope you don't mind but tonight we need to steal Bella, you can't have her all the time."

"I don't mind at all. I was planning on going with Jasper to the auto show in Seattle anyway, Jasper needs a new car." I looked at him and he pulled me close to him, as if reassuring me that this was not going to be my idea of an ideal night.

After dinner the guys set off for Seattle and I was taken upstairs into Alice's bedroom. Esme, Alice and Renee seemed to have a plan for the evening that they had left me in the dark about, I always hated surprises.

"So, welcome to Bella's Bachellorette party!" I knew it was something I wasn't going to enjoy. I groaned and they all looked at me. "Come on Bella, it will be fun! I invited Jessica and Angela too; they are going to be your bridesmaids along with Rosalie and myself. I took it upon myself to ask them since their best friend failed to even inform them that she was getting married."

It was true, I hadn't told any of my friends from school about the wedding, I thought it would be weird having them around. "Really, Alice, I'm not in the mood for a party tonight, it's been a long day." But my complaining got me nowhere. Angela and Jess showed up then and we proceeded to have a night of singles games, chick flicks and, for those who were old enough, drinking.

We finally turned in for the night around two in the morning, at which point I was exhausted. After I was all ready and cleaned up for bed I walked into Edward's room. There he was, sitting on the bed and smiling up at me like he was the cleverest thing that ever walked the earth. "How could you do that to me?" He didn't look like he regretted it.

"Alice made me promise not to tell you. Come on, you can't tell me you didn't enjoy seeing your friends and having a nice girls night, I think you needed one."

He was right about one thing, once things started to get going I really did enjoy spending time with my girl friends but I wasn't about to admit that to him. "You find some kind of pleasure in the torture Alice puts me through? And I thought you loved me." I had him, his face dropped and he walked over and kissed me so passionately it took me some time before my heart rate began to go back to normal speed.

"Bella, I love you more than you could ever even comprehend, never for one second believe that I don't." He looked deep into my eyes as if looking for confirmation that I believed what he was telling me. I guess he was satisfied with what he saw because he dropped his gaze and led me towards the bed. "And anyway, I know you had a good time, I watched some of the nights events through Alice, Esme and Renee's thoughts, you're a party animal when I'm not around."

"Fine, I did like spending some time with the girls, apart from all your crazy mood swings." He thought that was funny and we both had a good laugh about it, "I've been thinking… I'm going to have to talk to Charlie eventually, I can't just pretend he doesn't exist, especially since I don't have much time left with either of them." That was the only problem I was afraid of, after my transformation I would never be able to see Renee and Charlie again.

"Well, I'm going to have to go hunting a few days before the wedding and we won't be back until probably the eve of our wedding so maybe it would be best if you and Renee went and lived at Charlie's place next week." I tried to consider this but I couldn't get past the fact that Renee and Charlie hated each other. It would be wonderful to spend an entire week with my parents before we had to say our last good byes but I would have to help them work through their problems.

"That could work, I'll go and talk to Charlie tomorrow after work and see where he stands right now and if he is ok with the wedding then I will ask him." Edward seemed to agree with the idea so we curled up in the bed and it took no time at all for me to fall asleep.

Tonight I had the same dream as the night before, Edward and I standing at the alter taking our vows and in the clearing afterwards taking our first dance as husband and wife but in the background of all these scenes were three or four hooded black figures. Again everything went black and I woke up with a start. Edward was there to calm me down and he quietly sung my lullaby until I drifted back off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Work took an abnormally long time today, probably because I was anticipating my conversation with Charlie. The Newton's let me do my own thing most days but today was inventory day and I found my concentration drifting from what I was doing to what I was going to say to Charlie. I am pretty sure I counted the bait hooks four times more than I was supposed to.

After work I climbed into my car and turned on the air conditioning, which Emmett had installed before going to Alaska with Rosalie. It was sad, a temperature that I used to consider cold when I lived in Phoenix was now so hot I could barely bare being outside for more than a few minutes. I turned on the radio to give myself something to distract me until I actually got to Charlie's. As the song ended the announcer came on with some breaking news, there were five children that had disappeared from an elementary school in Seattle. This news got my attention because it sounded like something I had heard before but just at that time I arrived at Charlie's and I pushed it to the back of my mind.

I sat in Charlie's driveway for fifteen minutes going over what I was going to say to him. Since Esme and Renee were going shopping for bridesmaid's dresses I had all the time in the world to say what I needed to. Finally, I got out of the car and walked to the door. The cruiser was in the driveway so I knew that he was home, I hesitated at the door trying to decide whether to knock or just come in. I knocked on the door and waited for him to come and answer.

"Bella? What are you doing here? And since when do you knock to get into your own house? Come in." I followed him through the door and into the kitchen where he pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit, I did. "Bells, I'm glad you're here. I need to talk to you about this whole situation. I feel bad for how I acted and I…"

"Dad, I understand why you acted the way you did, that is why I'm here. Listen I still plan on marrying Edward and I have come to talk it through with you, just the two of us, I will answer any questions you have, I just want you on my side."

"Bella I am always on your side, and I have decided that if you want me there to walk you down the aisle I will be there. Where is your mother? Did she go back to Phoenix?" This was my cue.

"Well dad, right now mom is out with Esme Cullen. We are living at the Cullen's place for the next week, that's part of the reason for my visit. Next week the Cullens are taking a family camping trip and mom and I need a place to stay for the week. I would really love to spend my last week before the wedding with the two of you together, so I was wondering if for that week, the two of you could put your differences aside." He looked at the floor for a minute; he was trying to decide so I didn't push him.

"I dunno Bells. Your mother and I haven't gotten along since the divorce, have you talked to her about it? If she is willing to put our differences aside I would be willing to have you both live here for the week, I would do anything for you." I ran over and gave him a big hug and kiss.

"Thanks dad, I will talk to her tonight. I love you; you have no idea how much this means to me, I will call you after I talk to mom. I should probably be heading back before they wonder if I ran away." With that I kissed him on the cheek again and left to get into the car.

As I was leaving, Charlie called me back, "Hey, you aren't planning on going to Seattle any time soon are you? I don't know if you have heard but people are going missing in groups and I don't really want you anywhere near there until they find out what is going on." He must be referring to what I heard on the news.

"Don't worry dad, I don't think I need to go to Seattle for any reason, I heard about the disappearances on the radio. I will stay far from there until they find the problem, I promise. Bye." And with that I was out the door and on my way home, I couldn't help but be happy, my dad was going to be there to walk me down the aisle. For the first time since agreeing to marry Edward I was truly excited about the wedding. Now all I had to do was talk Renee into putting her differences with Charlie aside and making my final week as an unmarried woman one that I would remember for all eternity.

When I got back to the big white house it seemed to be bustling with activity. The second I walked in the door I could see what the cause of all the commotion was, Emmett and Rosalie had returned from their trip to Alaska.

As usual Emmett came up and gave me one of his giant bear hugs while Rosalie stood aside and simply waved in greeting. Even though she had gotten over the jealously she felt towards my relationship with Edward she carried a grudge that I had the ability to have children and experience all those human things that she had missed. She couldn't stand the thought that I was going to willingly give up all that had ever mattered to her in exchange for her brother's hand in marriage.

"What are you two doing home so soon? I thought you weren't coming back until after the hunt." Emmett looked as if he was going to answer but before he could get even a word out Edward came into the front hall and Emmett directed his attention to the floor. There was something they were keeping from me, something Edward didn't want me to know. "You can't keep things from me Edward, I have a right to know what you know."

"No, you don't," he said through gritted teeth, something was bothering him, that was obvious. "Bella, there is nothing to worry about, I promise. Please just let it go, Esme is making a welcome home dinner for Rosalie and Emmett and I don't want to ruin it over something that isn't even a big deal."

"If it was a big enough deal to bring Emmett and Rosalie home then it is something you should be telling me. I am going to be your wife in a week and I think you owe me the truth. What is going on? Does it have something to do with the disappearances in Seattle?" I could tell I had gotten a part of it.

"What did you hear about Seattle? Bella, this really isn't the time to be discussing this. We will talk about it after dinner ok?" I let it drop, but we would talk about it after dinner, he owed me answers and I was going to get them.

As if it was planned Renee came down the stairs at just that moment, she must have just woken up from a nap because she was quite uncoordinated. "Hi mom. How was your day?"

"It was good thank you. How was work? What did you do when you were done?" these were all questions that I wished to answer later so I decided to change the subject quickly.

"Work was good, but I'm starving. Esme just called us in for dinner so why don't we all head to the kitchen, dinner smells amazing." I looked at Edward as we all headed for the kitchen, his face was unreadable and that only confirmed my feelings of discomfort.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

If I thought watching Edward and the others eating food was funny before, it was nothing compared to the show that Emmett put on. Once Esme had placed the plate of food in front of him he inhaled the entire steak in a matter of five seconds and did the same with the peas and corn that went with it. The face that came after only made me laugh harder and before long the entire table was laughing, even Renee, though I doubt she understood what was so funny.

Once everyone had finished their less than satisfying dinners, we retired to the living room where Emmett and Rosalie talked about their trip up to Alaska. It didn't take them long to finish the story and they soon decided to go up to bed due to their "exhaustion" from the long plane ride home.

It soon became evident, as each member of the Cullen family politely excused themselves that they were leaving Renee and I so that we could discuss the plans for next week. I took the time given to me to my full advantage. "Mom, I need to talk to you about some things if that's ok," she nodded so I continued. "I realize that Edward and his family have extended the invitation for us to stay here until the wedding but seeing as they are going on a family camping trip tomorrow, I thought it may be a good idea if we spent some time as a family. I went and visited Charlie this afternoon and he agreed to let us stay there for the week. It would mean a lot to me to spend some time with my parents before I get married."

She seemed to consider the proposal much like Charlie had. Finally, she directed her gaze on me, "If that is what you want then I would be willing to put my feelings towards your father aside to make your last week with us an enjoyable one. If he is willing to be civil towards me, then it is only fair that I put in the same effort. When do the Cullens leave?"

"They are set to leave tomorrow morning, so, I was thinking that we could pack up after they leave and head over some time after lunch." She nodded and the plan was set. After all the plans were put in place I excused myself and went to clean up for bed.

Once I said good night to Renee I went and met Edward in Emmett's room. As was the plan, mom had moved into Edward's room because of Rosalie and Emmett's early return. He was sitting on the bed waiting for me with open arms and a guarded face, he was awaiting my latest attack. I walked over and joined him on the bed. Instead of wrapping myself in his arms, I sat facing him, he wasn't getting away with ignoring the topic before he left.

"You know you can't keep this secret from me forever so why don't you just tell me. I don't think it would be a good idea for us to be in an argument while you are away, especially since we are getting married the day you get back." He knew I was right but he never liked to admit it.

"Please don't make me tell you, it will only worry you and if it doesn't then you may go off and do something I don't want you to do." He released the full power of his eyes on me but I turned my gaze before he could cause me to become disoriented. "Why do you have to be so difficult? I'm not going to tell you what I know so just let it go, I would rather be in an argument than worry you with useless information. All you need to worry about right now is having a good week with your parents, we will have plenty of time after the wedding to discuss these things, once you become one of us."

"Fine, I won't push you anymore because I know that you wouldn't lie to me and I want the week with my parents to be wonderful but we will talk about it." Although I had let the issue drop I knew it would be in my mind the entire week and I would be paying close attention to everything around me to try and solve what he was keeping from me.

I hadn't realized that he was staring at me, I was too deep in thought, "You aren't going to go in search of answers are you Bella?" he looked worried so I decided it was a good time to lie, if I didn't my week with my parents would be interrupted by my own personal babysitter.

"Please don't worry about me, I won't do anything you don't want me to do because you need to have a relaxing time with your family before the wedding, but I'm not going to tell you that I'm not curious." I let out a deep yawn and that was my way of saying the conversation was over for the night. He wrapped the blanket around me so that I wouldn't get cold and then he pulled me close into his arms, this was the last night we would spend together before the wedding and I was hoping to make it enjoyable.

As I slept I dreamt again of our wedding day but there was a difference in this one that made it even more terrifying. I was alone in the clearing and surrounded by the flowers and the tents and out of the forest came the cloaked figures, they were approaching with a swiftness I had only ever seen in the company of vampires. They looked familiar but I couldn't place where they were from.

Just as the leader of the group was about to remove their hood I was shaken awake, "Bella, Bella, it's ok, you're just dreaming, shh." I opened my eyes and Edward was standing over me in a pool of light, it was morning and he looked scared, a look of fear that I had never seen before. "You are drenched in sweat, what were you dreaming? You wouldn't stop screaming my name." It wasn't until then that I realized we weren't alone; Renee and the rest of the family were standing some distance behind Edward.

"I'm fine, really. What time is it? Shouldn't you guys be leaving soon?" I didn't want to reveal what I was dreaming with the whole family there. "If you guys don't mind could I talk to Edward alone?"

They all left the room and Renee gave me a questioning look before leaving and closing the door behind her. "Bella is this the same dream as you had before, maybe I shouldn't go, not when you're in such a fragile state. Come here." He brought his face to mine and pressed his body to me to cool me down, it helped and I felt my body temperature cool and the sweat dry off my face.

"Edward, I'd rather you went on the hunt before the wedding and spent some time with your family, I'll be fine, I promise." I didn't feel fine but I put on the bravest face I could and waited until he seemed to believe it. "I love you."

"I love you too Bella." He bent down and brushed his lips along my collarbone and all the way up my neck until they met mine. Breathing in his sweet scent I launched myself at him and he didn't make me stop. Finally, I pulled away from him and we went downstairs to say our goodbyes. The next time I would see Edward I would be wearing my wedding dress and walking down the aisle.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After the Cullens left, mom and I got dressed and went back down to the kitchen to make ourselves a nice breakfast before heading over to Charlie's. I decided it would be best for us to do a little grocery shopping before heading over because knowing him he hadn't eaten anything other than fish since I had moved in with Edward. By the time we were finished with those little odds and ends we headed over. It was obvious that Renee's nerves were getting the better of her and I wasn't much better off. I was afraid of how things were going to go between my parents; I didn't want a repeat of the day that she left him.

As I pulled into the driveway I turned to my mom and she was shaking in her seat, "I haven't seen your father in almost fifteen years and that wasn't exactly the best departure, I don't know if I can do this." I looked at my mom and I could tell that she was truly afraid of the way this week was going to go over, I needed to be the strong one in this situation.

"Mom, it's going to be ok, I will be there with you, I promise. Let's get this over with, ok?" she nodded and I got out of the car and waited until she was standing beside me. We walked to the door together and passed the cruiser as we walked up the driveway. When we walked in the door Charlie was already there to welcome us, he had obviously been watching from the front window, he looked almost as anxious as my mom. "Hey dad, what have you been up to today? We bought you some groceries since I'm sure you don't have anything more than fish in your freezer." That seemed to ease at least Charlie's mood and mom seemed to become less stiff as she stood beside me.

"Hello Charlie, long time no see. Can you believe we are going to be the parents of the bride in less than a week? I didn't see it coming." She was trying to make small talk and it was impressive. Charlie took hold of the topic and all I had to do was sit back and watch as my parents had an open conversation, something I couldn't remember seeing in my entire life.

The week without Edward was difficult, but not once did my parents get into an argument, it was the exact opposite. At times they got along better with each other than they did with me. It was nice to spend time with my parents but knowing that this was the last week that I would see them made the whole thing bitter sweet. Seeing them both so happy made it difficult for me to agree with my decision to be transformed in a matter of weeks, however, the dreams were coming on a nightly basis and the fear that they gave me confirmed that the transformation was vital if our relationship was going to survive.

As the eve of my wedding approached I found myself becoming nervous and for once my mother was the rock that brought me back to my senses. "It's ok to be nervous, you are giving yourself over to another person, but I know you love Edward and I know you know this is right for you. The two of you have been through too much to let some nerves bring you down." I knew she was right and for the remainder of the week a little reminder here and there calmed me to the point that I was excited for the day to finally get there.

On Friday, the day before the wedding, I walked into my room to find one of my favourite visitors sitting on my bed with a big smile stretching across her face. Alice was always able to put me into a good mood, no matter what kind of scheming plans she had up her sleeve.

"What are you doing here? I thought you guys weren't coming home until later tonight, is Edward coming later?" she looked at me incredulously, like she couldn't believe I was asking her this. "What?"

"Of course Edward isn't coming tonight, he can't see the bride before the wedding, that is why I'm here. You should have heard him all week, he wouldn't stop talking and worrying about you, I don't trust him to stay away until tomorrow so I am taking this into my own hands." She was enjoying this far more than she should be but I didn't care, it would be nice to spend the night with her. "Now Bella it's time for you to go to bed, it is a very important day tomorrow and you need to be well rested."

With that, I climbed into bed and after a few verses of the lullaby Edward wrote me I was fast asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

For once my dreams did not wake me up in terror, I dreamt of happy things, how my life would be after the wedding. Before long I was awoken by a bunch of noise surrounding me, people were talking and there was a sense of disorganization. I could hear Jessica and Angela saying something about mixing up which dress belonged to whom and Esme and Alice discussing when would be the best time to wake me up. I made that decision for them.

"What is going on in here?" As I opened my eyes I couldn't figure out where I was, there was no way this was my room. At the foot of my bed there was a pile of dresses, mirrors had been set up around the room and makeup and hair curlers were strewn all over the furniture and the floor.

"Oh, good morning Bella dear, we were just about to wake you up. It's your wedding day! Aren't you excited? Now get out of bed, we have a lot of work to do before two o'clock." Esme pulled me out of bed and into a chair where she immediately started brushing out my hair. Of course all the others were already done up in their makeup and their hair was all pulled back nicely.

"Where are mom and Rosalie? Shouldn't they be here too?" just as I asked the question mom walked through the door carrying a huge tray of food followed closely by Rosalie.

"Good morning honey, are you ready for your big day? You should probably eat something before all this craziness gets out of hand." I took her advice and munched on the fruits and veggies mom had brought up while the chaos continued around me. Alice was painting my toenails, Rosalie and Esme were curling my hair and Angela and Jessica were painting my fingernails, everything was centered around me.

The day passed by in a blur of activity, all of us worked hard to make ourselves look beautiful. Compared to Esme, Rosalie and Alice I looked like a normal everyday girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes. But as I stood beside Jessica and Angela I felt truly beautiful for once in my life.

As two o'clock approached I went to work looking over the vows I had written for the ceremony. They were short and sweet but they seemed to get the general point across, it was harder than I would have thought to write your feelings on paper.

Renee would not stop looking at me the entire day and a few times I saw her choke back the tears. I was surprised how calm I was considering it was one of the most important days of my life. Charlie had been kicked out of the house and was to meet us at the church in forty minutes. Just in case we ran into Edward at the Church before the ceremony Alice insisted that I wear normal clothes until we got there at which time I would change into my dress.

When the limo arrived the seven of us piled into the car and we drove off towards the Church. Since Forks only had a small chapel we had to drive a half an hour south of Forks in order to find a Church large enough for all the people that Alice had invited. As we pulled up I couldn't help but look in awe at the beauty of the scene in front of me. Alice had arranged for thousands of peach chiffon calla lilies to be placed up and down the steps leading up to the church. She hadn't let me see the design plans for the wedding so as I walked in I had to catch my breath.

The inside of the Church was breathtakingly beautiful, flowers everywhere in beautiful vases, flower petals strew on the aisle, light peach and pink draping across the top of the Church and the lights were dimmed with fairy lights lighting up the aisle and the alter. It was like something right out of a fairytale and it was all for me. I was in too much shock to move so Alice and Rosalie pulled me along to the place where I was to get ready, Charlie was there waiting for me in a nice new suit.

"Bella, you look beautiful." That was all he could say before the women pushed him out of the room so that I could put my dress on.

Getting in to the dress was an obstacle all by itself, it took four of us just to get me into it and all done up. It was a dress from out of another century, it was covered in lace and was the most beautiful thing I had every seen, let alone worn. I knew Edward would like it because it was from a time he remembered, a time when fashion was elegant.

Once the dress was on they did a final make up and hair check of me and then went on to make sure they looked ok. I could tell that Esme, Rosalie and Alice had done their best to look nice without looking far better than me. As I looked over I saw that Esme and Renee were standing in the corner hugging each other. When I got closer I realized they were crying.

"What's wrong? You two aren't going to get all emotional on me, you'll ruin your make up." They both looked over and smiled at me, they both looked like they were happy, I realized they were tears of joy not sorrow.

"We're sorry Bella, you're right. It's just you look so beautiful and today we are both giving something up that is very important to us and I am so happy that you are going to join our family." I had never heard the sensitive side of Esme, I knew she loved Edward like a son but I never realized just how close she was to all of us and how much it affected her. I walked over and gave them both a hug.

"I think it's time to get this show on the road. Alice, can you call in Charlie?" How was it that I was the calm one while everyone else rushed around to get into position? It took me a minute to understand but I finally realized it was because I knew this was the right thing, I loved Edward and this day would tie me to him forever.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Esme and Renee both came to give me one last kiss before they went to take their seats in the Church. Alice helped to line up all of the bridesmaids; she was the maid of honour so she would be the last one to walk out before me. The music started to play and they opened the doors, my last minutes of being single were coming to an end. As Rosalie began to walk down the aisle Charlie came and stood to my left and I put my arm into his.

"Bella you look beautiful, I have never been prouder to be your father than I am right now." he was tearing up and all I could do was hand him a tissue, "I love you Bells."

I didn't know how to express how happy I was that he was here, "I love you too dad, thank you for coming."

Alice was almost at the altar, which was our cue to start towards the doors. As the wedding march began to play everyone stood and turned their attention towards the door, to me. While everyone looked at me my eyes were on the man standing at the altar waiting for me. Edward had a huge smile on his face and he didn't take his eyes from mine the entire way down the aisle, he looked so happy. As I got to the altar Charlie kissed me on the cheek and passed me up to my future husband, "That's the second time I got you into a dress and you look even more beautiful than the first time." He smiled his crooked smile and I melted.

The ceremony was much like any other and it seemed that the figures that I had seen in my dream were nowhere near here, again just another of my silly dreams. As the time approached for us to state our vows I felt my nerves begin to kick in, they were so insignificant to how I really felt. As previously agreed Edward would say his vows first and I expected what I was given, something right out of a fairytale.

"Bella, the first time I saw you something in me caused me to know that you special and even then I could tell you were going to become a very important person in my life. I promise to love you for all eternity, in good times and in bad and I promise to protect you from all the obstacles that life may throw in your way, which we know it does on a daily basis. Bella, I love you with all my heart, now, always and forever."

The priest handed Edward the ring and asked "Edward, do you take Isabella Swan to be your wife." He replied with two simple words that meant the world to me, "I do."

Now it was my turn and it was not easy to remember what I had prepared once Edward stared at me through those gorgeous butterscotch eyes. "Edward, through all we have been through you have shown me what true love is. I know I am not the easiest person to get along with or keep safe but you have shown me that true love conquers all. Without you I would not be alive today. When I am without you my heart stops beating, you put the life into me. I promise to be with you for all time, through the good and the bad, forever and always."

The priest then turned to me and asked the same question he had asked Edward, "Bella, do you take Edward Cullen to be your husband?" Edward looked at me a little apprehensively for a moment but then I smiled and said the words I knew he was waiting to hear, "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Edward wasted no time, he bent down and wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me close. He put his lips to mine and kissed me, but this wasn't any kiss, it was something more, for once he kissed me as if we had nothing to fear, there were no boundaries. I didn't argue until we parted and he pulled me along down the aisle towards the limo, I didn't want it to end.

As we climbed into the limo the crowd followed us through the doors of the church and crowded the steps to throw the flower petals they had been provided with at the door. Most of the people at the wedding had been friends and family of mine with only the Cullen's and some of Carlisle's friends from the hospital who had come to know and love all of the Cullen children.

"I love you Bella, you look so beautiful, I can't take my eyes off of you." And it was true, not once had he looked away from me since I had walked through the doors at the end of the aisle.

"You're looking pretty handsome yourself, I love you so much." We leaned out the window to wave at all of our wedding guests as the limo driver began to drive us to the clearing where we would be having the reception. "Alice was right about one thing, this is the best day of my life, I can't imagine it any differently than it was today. The wedding was perfect."

That was all the talking we did before we got to the clearing because once I had stopped talking Edward leaned over and began to brush his lips from my hand all the way up my arm until his lips met mine and we kissed until we arrived at the clearing, today there were no boundaries and I was going to take full advantage of that.

As we got out of the limo it was a relief to realize that no one had shown up yet. Though the path to the clearing had been cleared and a nice neat path now led to it, in my wedding dress any walking that I had to do was a safety hazard. Edward seemed to realize this as he scooped me up into his arms and held me close to his hard chest. Then we were running through the forest and we were there in a matter of a minute or so.

He put me down and I looked around, Alice had kept her design plans for the clearing a secret as well and the scene that was in front of me almost made me fall over. It wasn't a sunny day, something we had on our side, and there were tents and tables in the same peach and pink colours as there had been in the Church. The three tents were placed around the wooden dance floor that was placed right in the center of the clearing. Straight ahead was the head table and the two side tents housed the guest tables.

Edwards soft voice broke in to my thoughts, "What do you think? Did Alice do a good job?" I was still speechless and all I managed was a "yes" before I hugged him and broke down in tears. Alice showed up a second later accompanied by Jasper.

"Edward, don't make her cry, she will ruin her makeup." Edward just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's you that did it, not me." I let go of Edward and ran over to hug Alice. Nothing could ruin this day for me, it was more than I had ever expected and I wasn't going to let anything change the way I felt about the day.

When I turned back to Edward he no longer looked happy, he was in a crouch staring at something in the forest that I couldn't see. Alice and Jasper were both looking cautiously in the same direction. "Bella, get behind me, NOW!" I did as he said, now slightly afraid.

It was a few minutes before I saw what the others had seen, it was like something right out of one of my dreams. Three black hooded figures emerged from the forest and began their approach towards us, I must be dreaming. But it was too real, there was no way this was a dream.

The leader of the group walked right up to Edward and removed his hood; it was Marcus, one of the three leaders of the Vulturi. The other two quickly revealed themselves to be Jane and Felix, we had met all three during our visit to Italy and it hadn't been a pleasant meeting.

Edward spoke first, in a hiss that I had first heard when we had met James in the baseball clearing, "What can we help you with on this lovely day?" Alice and Jasper were close on either side of me with Edward crouched in front.

Marcus spoke for the three, "Well, seeing as you can read minds you know exactly what we are here for, you promised us the girl was to be transformed and yet she stands here smelling as sweet as ever. We have given you over a year, her transformation is far overdue. Aro has sent us here to kill the girl, unless you plan on changing her whilst we are here." He had an evil smirk on his face, he wanted to kill me.

The rest of the Cullen family emerged from out of the forest and from the sounds of it they had brought the wedding guests along with them. "Oh, so you are having a party. Well from the smell of it there will be quite a few humans around and I think it would be best if we left, for now. We will give you a week, and don't try to run, you know we can see you." With that they quickly disappeared into the forest as the guests began to emerge from the trees.

Edward quickly regained his composure and came to take me into his arms; he was trembling, or was that me?


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

As the guests approached I struggled to get myself under control. Why was I reacting this way, I had been in much more danger before this and been completely calm. Edward wasn't about to let me go and I was happy about that, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me really close so there was no space between us.

"Bella it's going to be ok. I won't let them hurt you, let's just have a good time tonight, we can worry about all of this later." I nodded and put on the fakest smile I could so that we wouldn't raise suspicion with the guests, that was the last thing we needed right now.

As the night began Edward and I took our seats at the head table with the other people in the wedding party. The food was handed out and everyone ate. The Cullen clan ate a few bites here and there but I doubt Alice had enough time to eat more than two bites between all the clanging of the glasses. I think she was trying to keep our minds off what had just happened by making us kiss every ten seconds or so.

Once dinner and speeches were all finished it was time for Edward and I to share our first dance as husband and wife. Although I hate dancing I wasn't about to let Edward leave my side for a second and I was in too much shock to put up a fight. He pulled me from my seat and started walking to the dance floor but instead of stopping there he walked a few steps more to something I hadn't noticed there before, a piano.

"Since I know dancing isn't your favourite thing to do I decided we would leave tradition behind and I would play you a song that I wrote especially for you." He smiled his crooked smile at me and pulled me onto the bench beside him. The tears were already welling up in my eyes, this was the sweetest thing he had ever done for me. As his fingers began to move over the ivory keys I recognized the song almost immediately, my lullaby.

He played for a good ten minutes before the tempo slowed to a stop. "Thank you Edward, that was beautiful." That was all I managed to say before I broke down into tears soaking his jacket with the tears. I couldn't understand why I was crying, was it from the song or was it due to what had happened before the guests arrived. When the tears didn't stop people in the crowd began to become anxious but I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried.

Edward picked me up and carried me out of the clearing into the trees where I could talk to him until I was calm enough to return. He didn't go far to ensure that if the Vulturi returned we wouldn't be far from the safety of the remainder of the Cullen family. "Why did this have to happen today? Are they the ones responsible for those disappearances in Seattle? Of course, how didn't I put it all together sooner, I'm such an idiot."

"That's enough Bella. Yes, we thought it might be them that were behind the attacks but even we weren't sure, that's why I didn't tell you about it sooner. I didn't want to worry you over something we weren't positive about. It's going to be ok, we are going to change you in a couple of days and then they will leave." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head then he bent down and blew his sweet scent onto me. That calmed me enough to stop crying and I sat there for a minute in a daze, I wasn't going to let the Vulturi ruin my wedding night.

"Let's get back to the wedding before people send out a search party for us." Edward didn't argue, he stood up and pulled me up with him. With his arm tightly around my waist we walked back to the party and tried to act as if everything was fine.

No one asked what had happened, they were just happy to see that I had cheered up enough to enjoy the remainder of the evening. There were no more tears spilled for the remainder of the evening, at least not on my side of things. When it came time to end the party Edward and I were to leave on our honeymoon to Alaska. Once there we weren't supposed to return until Christmas since we had both been accepted to the University of Alaska and were to attend the school in the fall. That's what everyone was told at least.

When it was time to say my good byes to Renee and Charlie neither of them were able to hold back their tears. I had been away from them for longer than this before but they seemed to sense that this was going to be the last time they were going to see me in a very long time, longer than they had been told. I gave them both a big hug and kiss before leaving them to rejoin my husband in the limo.

As the limo drove away we both stuck our heads out the window once more and waved to all the people I had once loved and would probably never see again. Once they had all disappeared from sight I rolled up the window and leaned into Edward, it had been a long night and it wasn't over yet. Since I was to be transformed in a couple of days the honeymoon was postponed until after I was able to control my newborn urges. The driver took us back to the big white house, which I could now call my true home.

The house was empty; the Cullen's had agreed to stay out for the night cleaning the clearing so Edward and I could spend the night alone. Edward carried me up the steps and into our room with the huge bed sitting right in the middle, nothing was going to ruin this night for me. He put me onto the bed and lay down next to me, "Are you sure you want to do this tonight?" it was and honest question, he wasn't trying to back out and I wasn't going to let him.

"I kept up my part of the bargain, now it's your turn." I leaned over and pressed my lips against his, I wasn't going to restrain myself, and whatever happened happened. He leaned over and pulled me on top of him, I felt his hand reach up my back and he began slowly unzipping the back of my dress while continuing to kiss me. I helped to remove his jacket and began unbuttoning his dress shirt, he had my dress almost off before I was even able to get one button undone, he helped me to unbutton his shirt and in one smooth movement his chest was bare. I pressed my bare skin against his and we were closer than we had ever been.

He moved his lips from mine and brushed them down my face, my neck and he continued to move down my body, I felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. I had waited so long for this and now that it was finally happening I was happier than I had ever been. For the remainder of the night the only thing on my mind was him and that was how I liked it. It had been a long day and it wasn't long until I was fast asleep in his arms.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I dreamt of nothing but him and when I woke up he was right there beside me, watching my every move. "Good morning my love, how was your night?" He had that crooked smile on his face, I knew I had said something in my sleep that he had enjoyed and the way I was dreaming I could have said many things that he would find interesting.

"What did I say when I was sleeping?" I had turned red because I knew it was going to be something that embarrassed me. And from his laugh I could tell I was right.

"You really want to know? You said it was the best night of your life and you loved being married to me and you are glad we waited for that experience until our wedding night. And I happen to agree with you on that one." It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, but I knew he was holding back some of the more detailed things I had talked about while I was sleeping.

"Well that stuff is all true, I love you so much, I can't imagine being with anyone else." He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine, my heart was never going to get used to that. "What are we going to do today?"

He thought for a moment and then I saw the corners of his mouth turn down, "I know you won't like this but we still have some wedding business to take care of before Alice blows our heads off. It would be rude to ignore all the lovely wedding presents we got and we need to send out thank you letters to all of the guests. Since we don't have much time, we might as well get it over with now before, well, you know." He had a point, in a couple of days I would be in too much pain to even speak, let alone write thank you letters.

"Alright, when are the rest of them coming home because I want to get cleaned up and eat something before we start, they will help us won't they?" I knew Alice would and Esme would if I asked, that was all we needed.

"They said they would head home around noon to give us some time alone this morning. Why don't you go shower and I will go downstairs and make you some breakfast." I thought about being separated from him and my nerves started taking a hold of me, what if the visitors from last night decided to show up.

"What if the Vulturi come to the house while I'm upstairs and you don't hear them? Maybe it would be better if you stayed with me." He took me in his arms, I had never acted like this before but I felt vulnerable today and I wasn't going to hide my worry from him.

"It's alright, I will know if they come anywhere near the house and I will be by your side the second I hear anything. They won't come here anyway, not until the end of the week, that was the deal. If it scares you I will sit right outside the door but you don't have anything to worry about." What he said reassured me and I let him go downstairs to make me breakfast while I cleaned up. The shower helped me clear my head and I was no longer anxious when I came downstairs for breakfast.

"Feeling better?" he came over and placed a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of me, he had become quite the chef over the past few months, something I was grateful for.

"Much thank you." I dug into the food as he came and had a seat on the other side of the table so he was facing me. He sat quietly and watched as I ate. There was something he wanted to discuss so I finished up quickly and let him start. "What's on your mind?"

He was fighting with himself as to whether or not to tell me what he was really thinking. "It's just, I don't know if you should be transformed yet…"

"You promised Edward, you can't back out on me. If you won't do it Carlisle or Alice will, I'd rather it be you but if one of the others have to I can deal with that. With the Vulturi here I thought that would convince you that this is important." I was mad that he was considering backing out on our deal.

"I know I promised and I know it means a lot to you but Bella are you sure you can live without contact with Charlie and Renee? I saw how much you enjoyed your last week with them. Will you be able to stay away? I just want you to think about it."

"I haven't thought about anything else all year. It isn't going to be easy to stay away from them but I love you more than anyone else and I want to be with you forever. Once I am able to control my senses I may one day be able to go back and visit them, but even if I can't I know this is the right thing to do." The look on his face caused me to stop, I didn't want to fight with him on our first full day as husband and wife. "Edward, please, don't back out on me."

"Bella, I won't. I just want to make sure that this is the right decision for you, I don't want you to regret me for causing you to miss some of life's experiences."

"That will never happen, the only experiences I want are things I can experience with you." I got up and went to sit with him in the chair; we sat in silence until we heard Alice and the rest of the family's return home.

"Hey guys, how was your night? Don't tell me, I know it was amazing."  
Alice shot me a wink, had she seen what we were planning to do in one of her visions? That would make things awkward. "We bought the thank you cards so that we can get started on those. Do we know who gave you what?"

The entire day was used to write out over one hundred thank you letters by hand because Alice said it was more personal that way. Since many of the guests had been my own I was required to write most of them therefore making the process very slow. They weren't actually finished until Tuesday, the day before I was to be transformed into a vampire.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

On Tuesday night I climbed into bed next to Edward fairly early, it had been a long day but the invitations were finally finished. Edward was quieter than usual. From the look on his face he was thinking about something and I was pretty sure I knew what it was. I didn't interrupt his thoughts, I lay next to him, curled up against his cold body. Soon enough I wouldn't feel the cold radiating from his body because I would be one of them. It was last night of sleep and I was hoping to take full advantage of it, nice dreams were all I wanted but I had a feeling my dreams would not be peaceful.

"What are you thinking?" It took me surprise when he broke the silence with this question. It took me a minute to answer and he took that as me withholding information. "Please tell me, I'm frustrated enough without you keeping things from me."

"I'm just trying to figure out why you are so quiet. You haven't said anything all day, are you ok?" he sighed.

"I'm just worried that's all. What if I can't stop Bella? I know you trust me but after all this time of waiting to taste your blood I don't know if I will be able to restrain myself. I don't want to lose you." There was real fear in his voice and I couldn't think of anything I could say to put his fears to rest. I had fears of my own.

"You've done it before, what makes you think you can't do it again? You are stronger than you think." He relaxed under me. "I have something I wanted to ask you. What if once I am a vampire you don't love me anymore? What if the only thing that draws me to you is my scent?"

"Bella, that's crazy. Your transformation can only help our relationship grow. Once you become one of us I won't need to worry about hurting you anymore and we are free to do what we want when we want to. Those thoughts shouldn't even be in your head, I will always love you." I could feel his breath on my hair as he kissed the top of my head. Slowly I drifted to sleep.

As I had thought my dreams were far from peaceful. I dreamt of the Vulturi and losing Edward and many other things that hurt to even remember. It was a relief when I finally opened my eyes to the sunlight of the morning. After today I would be immortal, free to walk the earth for all eternity.

"Good morning," it was Alice, her cheery self as usual. "How was your sleep, it didn't sound overly enjoyable." She came and sat on the end of the bed.

"Morning Alice, where is Edward?" normally he was there to say good morning the minute I woke up.

Alice's expression blanked, "He went out to clear his head and get something to drink, he doesn't want to be thirsty later. Jasper and Carlisle are with him so you get to spend the next couple hours with Esme and me. I can't wait until you are one of us! We will have to play some baseball, I have a feeling you'll be good at it."

All I could do was laugh, "Me? Good at a sport. You have got to be kidding." It was a well-known fact that I had the athletic ability of a stick.

"You never know, maybe everything you are unable to do in this life will become a skill of yours in the next life." That was a nice thought but I didn't believe it.

The morning passed in a blur, I didn't change from my pyjamas because I knew they would be the best thing to wear for the next few days, something comfortable, I was going to need all the comfort I could get. The guys got back around one and Edward and I went for a walk so that we could talk for a few minutes before. "You know I trust you. I don't want you to watch while I'm changing, I don't want you to go through that kind of torture. Remember, I was the one that wanted this and you are helping me get what I want. I asked Alice and Esme to make sure you left for the next couple of days, after you've started the transformation." He looked at me like I was absolutely insane.

"I'm not leaving your side! Are you serious, you are my wife and I will stay with you no matter how hard it is to watch. Bella I will be fine, I promise." He seemed tormented by the fact that I didn't want him there during the three days it would take. "I promised you in my vows that I would stay with you through the good and the bad and that is exactly what I am going to do."

I wasn't going to fight with him, not now. "Ok, you can stay if you want but you need to remember that I chose this for myself, none of this is your fault." He nodded.

As we walked in the door the whole family was standing there, staring at me. "Are you ready Bella? Edward?" Carlisle was the calmest of the bunch, we both nodded. "Ok then, let's get this started. Edward I think it would be best to do it in your room so that she can be somewhat comfortable on the bed." Edward scooped me into his arms and carried me up the stairs followed by the rest of the family. He laid me on the bed, Carlisle at his side and the remainder of the family standing at the door.

"We all love you very much Bella, please remember that, you can get through this." Esme's kind words helped to calm my nerves. Jasper came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, he said nothing but my heart rate began to slow almost immediately, that was to help Edward. The slower the blood pulsed the less he would have to taste making it easier for him to stop.

Once I was calm Jasper walked back to join the rest of the family. "Edward, are you ready?" Edward looked terrified and tortured at the same time, he was struggling. I sat up and kissed him until he began to relax, "I'm ready. I love you Bella." And as he said that he bent low towards my neck taking my head into his hands. I felt his lips hesitate on my neck and then his teeth broke through and in a matter of about a minute he withdrew his lips from me, he had done it.

Almost immediately after his teeth left my skin I was on fire! The fire pulsed out of my veins and I was screaming, I couldn't control it, "EDWARD! Help me, I'm on fire! Put it out! Put it out!" I couldn't see him clearly through the blur of pain but I could faintly hear his pleas to Carlisle.

"Isn't there anything we can do to help her, please. She is in so much pain." There was so much torture in his voice. That had been what I was afraid of, I knew he wouldn't be able to stand my cries. I wished I could reach out to him and reassure him that it was ok but the pain was so immense that I couldn't even stop from screaming.

Esme was the next one to speak, she sounded almost as tortured as Edward, "Dear, we need to get out of here, I can't stand hearing her cry like this. Edward come downstairs with us, ok, Carlisle will look after her.

"No, I won't leaver her, I promised. I can do this." He sat next to me on the bed and took my thrashing hand; he loved me, that was clear.

The pain didn't ease, it only got worse as time went on and my cries for help became more and more frequent, I wanted to die. At one point in the night I took Edward by the shirt and yelled at him to "Kill me now, please!" I begged but he took my face in his hands and he told me it would all be ok. The pain was so bad I couldn't understand why I had chosen to put myself through this torture the pain blurred my memory and it was a constant struggle.

As the second day came to an end the pain began to numb and my screaming became less and less frequent, it was almost over. Just as he had promised Edward did not leave my side, not once.

On the third day the pain was almost completely gone and I had regained the ability to speak. "How are you?" the pain was still there but all I cared about was how Edward was after the torture of the past couple of days.

"I'm fine, there were a few times that I almost couldn't bare to let you suffer but the love I have for you kept me strong. To know that you will be with me forever is all I need to stay strong." I tried to sit up but I felt a new shot of pain go through my veins and I collapsed back on the bed. He understood what I wanted and bent forward to press his lips against mine, he still loved me and that was all that mattered right now.

"So is my scent all gone? I can't feel my heart beating anymore, it's a very weird feeling." He smiled and looked at me.

"I didn't think you could get any prettier but you are the most beautiful creature that has ever walked this earth. And yes, your scent is gone but you still smell beautiful to me. Do you still feel the same feeling towards me as you did before?" It seemed to me that this was a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Of course I still love you, did you really think my transformation would change the way I felt towards you." He turned his eyes away from mine. "So did anything exciting happen while I was out of it? Did the, well you know who show up?"

"Yes they did but when they saw the state you were in they decided it was best to head back to Italy. Thank goodness for that. You should be able to get out of bed in a couple of hours, it's almost over." He still seemed worried that I would break out screaming again.

"I'm feeling so much better, almost indestructible." That calmed him down and he broke down laughing.

"Knowing you, you will find a way to kill yourself even as one of us." The sad thing was, he was right, I probably would.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As the day continued I felt myself getting stronger and stronger. Edward didn't leave my side all day which gave us the chance to talk about things that had been on our minds for a while. By sunset I was able to get out of bed and go downstairs to see the rest of the family. Other than the odd visit from Carlisle I hadn't seen any of them since Wednesday and I wanted to know what was going on with them.

Followed closely by Edward we went downstairs where I received a warm welcome from everyone, even Jasper. They didn't have anything to worry about anymore and it was an obvious relief. "Bella you look so beautiful, I'm so glad you are one of us now." Esme came and kissed me.

"Your eyes are so black, aren't you thirsty? Maybe we should go out on a hunt." Emmett seemed to like the idea but the truth was I really wasn't thirsty at all, I felt quite in control. "She's even better looking than Rosalie, Edward really scored when he chose her." I looked over at Emmett as I heard what he was saying, Edward was staring at him too but no one else seemed to notice.

"What did you just say Emmett?" He looked at me with a confused expression on his face, which quickly turned into comprehension.

"She can do it too! Bella, you can read people's thoughts like Edward." I felt my jaw drop as I understood what I had heard. As the realization dawned on me the voices began rushing through my head, they were all of excitement.

Edward looked at me with an expression I found hard to read. "You can read people's thoughts? Why didn't you tell me? Can you read mine?"

I tried to focus on what he was asking me over all of the voices in my head. "I...I didn't know, Emmett's was the first I heard and now you guys are all thinking too much for me to focus."

"Guys, can you leave us alone for a minute? I want to see if she can read my mind and we need to give her a break from all of your crazy thoughts." They all left at once and my mind was calm for once. "Bella, can you please try to read my thoughts." I tried to focus on Edward alone but I didn't hear anything, my mind was blank.

"I can't hear anything; we must have some barrier between us that keeps us from hearing each other's thoughts." He seemed to agree and was happy with the realization that I couldn't read what he was thinking.

"Do you think you could have any other special abilities hidden in that small little person?" It was a cool thought but I doubted there were any other special talents I had been given. "We need to make sure this is kept a secret from the Vulturi as long as possible. If they get a hold of this information I don't know what they will want from you."

The thought of the Vulturi coming back brought back the shaking that I had experienced the week before. Edward walked over and wrapped his arms around me, "It's ok, why do they affect you so much? I know they're scary but we won't be seeing them for a very long time so there is nothing for you to worry about." I wished I could believe him but something in the back of my mind was telling me that it wouldn't be long before we ran into our Italian friends again.

"I'm fine, really. Now what should we do today?" Now that I was a vampire there wasn't really anything for us to do or look forward to.

"Well we could go out on a hunt, you must be really thirsty and we don't want any slip ups. However, you seem really calm for a newborn. Most times they are, I mean newborns, are uncontrollable by anyone. Maybe it's because there is no temptation, do you want to go and see how you will react around humans, can you handle that?" I thought about it for a moment, I didn't feel any more out of control than usual so I couldn't see how it would matter.

"Sure, but you need to promise me that if I go out of control you won't let me kill anyone." He nodded and we went outside. I started to walk towards the garage, "Where are you going Bella? Why don't we see how fast you can move?" I had completely forgotten that now that I was a vampire I would be able to run faster than a car could ever take me. "Let's make it a race. Ready, set, GO!"

And he was off and my reaction time surprised me. Three days ago it would have taken me a few minutes to realize that Edward had started but now I was beside him in a matter of seconds. He looked over at me and I ran passed him until he was eating my dust, I got such a high out of the run. Once it was obvious that Edward wasn't going to catch up I slowed my pace and let him run beside me. "Where did that come from? You went so fast I couldn't catch up if I tried, I've never seen anyone run that fast in all the years I've walked this earth."

We slowed to a fast, graceful walk as we neared town and I began to smell the scent of human blood. I had expected to lose control once the smell hit me but as we got closer and closer I felt no different. Edward was watching me closely, his arm wrapped tightly around my waist to make sure I didn't hurt anyone. "Why do you seem so calm? Don't you want...well, you know?"

"There is nothing that repulses me more right now than that thought. Are you sure the transformation worked? I don't feel any different than I did a few days ago." He looked as confused as I was.

"Let's go to the hospital and see Carlisle, maybe he'll know what's going on because I have no idea." We set off at a fast run that increased in speed as we left the view of the public.

I thought maybe all the blood in the hospital would trigger a reaction from me but I didn't feel any different. The blood no longer made me ill as it had when I was a human but I was not drawn to drink it either. We spotted Carlisle rushing around the emergency room and we waited to bother him until we saw him go to sit in his office. As we walked in the door a look of horror and then confusion passed over his face.

"Edward what do you think you're doing bringing her here? Did something happen, I haven't heard of any deaths or disappearances, Bella hasn't bitten anyone has she." What happened to asking me questions, then I realized that Carlisle had never actually spoken, we had heard the questions through his thoughts. He was obviously not used to me being able to listen to thoughts.

"Nothing has happened. I haven't even had an urge to attack anyone, the whole thought is repulsive." He looked at me in complete shock.

"You don't feel anything when you are around people? You must be thirsty, newborns have to feed constantly after they have been changed." He was confused and going through a million possibilities in his head, none of which made any sense.

"No, none of those explanations make sense," I was answering his thoughts, not the questions he was saying aloud. "I am thirsty but I can deal with an elk or something, it's not an immediate need or anything."

"Edward, why don't you take Bella out to the forest and let her hunt. I'll be home in an hour or so and we will all talk about this and try to figure out what is going on. Maybe she just needs to get a taste for the blood before anything happens, this is still very strange." We left and went out into the forest where Edward watched and waited while I stood there.

"What am I supposed to do?" He looked at me confused and he started laughing. I was really confused and I started laughing a very confused laugh.

"This really should come naturally to you, I don't have any answers for this reaction. Why don't you just follow my lead? That's the only way you're going to learn if it doesn't come naturally." He crouched down and scanned the forest for signs of movement. As he was searching I spotted an elk out of the corner of my eye and pounced on it as he continued his search. The second it had come into my line of vision I had lost all the control I had when I was in town.

Once I had regained control Edward came to join me near the dead elk, "That's how it is supposed to work. Do you understand now why I would not have taken you on a hunt while you were human?" All I could do was nod. The shock of my reaction to the elk had me completely immobilized, I couldn't move or speak.

After a couple of minutes I regained my speech enough to suggest that we head back home. "Do you want a ride back?" I nodded and climbed on his back, just like old times. It was comforting to know we could be the same together as we always had been. When we arrived back home the family was waiting in the living room for the much-needed discussion about my reaction around humans.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Edward and I went to join the family in the living room and we all sat in silence as we got caught up on the possibilities they had come up with while we were gone. None of them really made sense and we could tell that no one had any idea what was going on. We spent nearly an hour coming up with different possibilities but there was always some factor that made the suggestion impossible.

When no one else was able to come up with ideas I decided to end the conversation. "Guys, does it really matter that I am not attracted to human blood, isn't that a good thing? I'm not going to starve, I can live on animals just like the rest of you and it's just a plus that I don't have that extra temptation on the side." They all seemed to agree but their minds were still trying to think of possibilities.

As I sat there and quietly listened to their thoughts, new thoughts entered my mind, thoughts I didn't recognize. I heard them before we smelt them and Edward was the first to realize what was coming. "Werewolves! We have to get out of here; I completely forgot that once I bit you we broke our pact with the Quileute tribe." Their thoughts proved his point, they were all thinking about me and they were happy that they had caught our scent.

"Where are we going to go? How many of them are there? I can't tell, it sounds like five or so. They smell horrible, I understand now why it was so hard for you guys to be near them." We were all up by now and quickly coming up with a plan as the where to go.

"We are going to need to get them off our trail. The best way to do that would be by swimming. They aren't far so let's split up, Bella, Edward, Alice and Jasper should all head towards Alaska, you might as well go up there now before school starts. Emmett, Rosalie, Esme and myself will head to Europe where we can live in Finland for the next little while until it is safe for us to meet up in Alaska again."

Once the plan was set it took us no time at all to pack up and head out. Carlisle and his group headed out in the Volvo while we took Alice's Porsche. As we drove away I caught a glimpse of the pack, they were splitting up to follow both vehicles but they weren't any match for the car which was going over two hundred kilometres an hour.

Alice and Jasper were in the front seat and Edward and I were in the back. I was curled up in his arms. Why was it that we couldn't go a year without some kind of drama and danger in our lives? I thought that after I was one of them I wouldn't need him to protect me anymore but right now I felt like I needed him more than ever. "I am really sorry guys, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have been so selfish."

Alice spoke first, "Bella, this isn't your fault. You were bound to be changed eventually. We would rather have you as one of us than have to continue worrying constantly about hurting you." Her thoughts agreed with what she was saying, making it hard not to agree with her statement. I sat back in Edward's arms and tried to relax but it was easier said than done.

"Alice is right you know, it was for the best. So what if we experience some obstacles, you're bound to find some of those in a marriage." He smiled his crooked smile at me and for once my heart wasn't pounding from my chest. "You know, I'm really going to miss the nice red colour you used to turn when I smiled at you."

We drove through the night and the werewolves weren't seen or heard from the entire way. Eventually we would have to abandon the car and cross the water to ensure they completely lost any trace of us. For the first time in a long time Jacob returned to my mind. Was he chasing after us with the rest of his pack? Of course he would, now that I was a vampire we were enemies, he had no reason not to come after us.

"Where are we going to stay while we are in Alaska? I think the Quileute tribe knows about Tanya and her coven so it wouldn't be safe to stay with them." This thought obviously hadn't entered any of their minds. All the time I had spent with the pack was paying off for our side.

"Maybe we should head to the university, I'm sure the house would be ready for us to move in and Alice and Jasper can go to the high school nearby with part of Tanya's coven. You didn't tell the werewolves about the university so there would be nothing to lead them there." It sounded like a good enough plan so we relaxed until we came close to the water. We abandoned the car about a half an hour from the water's edge and ran the remainder of the distance.

I had always been a good swimmer but because of the cold temperatures of the north I hesitated at the water's edge. The other three dove right in and began to swim. When Edward realized I hadn't gotten in the water he began to laugh. "Come on Bella, you won't feel the cold, I promise. Your body temperature is colder than the water, to you it will feel warm.

I dove in and to my surprise the water did feel warm against my cold skin. The others had advanced far into the water but with my new strength it took me no time at all to catch up to them. We swam for a couple of hours before we finally saw land again, not bad for a journey that would take a ship one month to make. It was a relief to climb out of the water, there was no way the pack would be able to track us here.

Since we left the car back in the States we had to run the remainder of the way to the university. It was three in the morning by the time we arrived at the house that Edward and I had bought a year ago. We were supposed to move in when university started in the fall but we had bought the house and set it up a couple months ago in case something came up and we were required to leave Forks. It had enough room for the four of us to live comfortably together.

Once we got in we decided it would be best if we stayed in and relaxed for awhile in case something happened and we had to abandon the house quickly. Of course there was a brand new Saab in the garage that we would be able to use if we needed to make a quick escape.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

As it turned out, we didn't need to be on constant alert because over the next week there wasn't a single sign of any danger. As September approached we were all waiting for the moment when I would finally have the urge to drink human blood, but it never came. I was placed in rooms with many people when I went to visit the university and not once did a person's scent catch my attention.

We went hunting almost every weekend because my thirst was never fully satisfied and it turned out to be more fun than I had thought it would be. I had moved on from the occasional elk to more dangerous predators that threatened overpopulation in the north. My favourite prey was the polar bear, but hunting always comes with its downside. While hunting, all control is lost and it is hard for me to understand exactly what I am doing but once the kill is complete and I regain control it always sickens me to see the poor creature whose life I have just taken.

All four of us were beginning to settle into our new life in Alaska, we all missed the other four of our coven but we were in constant contact with them. They had ended up in Finland as planned and were settling in quite nicely. Carlisle had found a job at the hospital there and they were planning on staying there for the next few months until we were sure there was no chance of discovery.

As August came to an end, there had still been no sign of the Vulturi or the Quileute pack. Edward and I were closer than ever now that we could spend every minute with each other. There were times when I thought I saw a hint of regret when he would kiss me and he could no longer hear my heart beat faster but then he would kiss me like he never could have before the transformation and all those worries left my mind.

"So, any new talent you have discovered in the past couple of hours that you would like to boast about?" he loved to tease me about this topic ever since we discovered a few other things that I could do better than him. For one, my musical ability was far better than it ever had been, I could play anything. I also learnt of my ability to communicate my thoughts to other vampires even if they were unable to read minds. I would send visual images to them to help them better understand what I was trying to tell them. The one thing Edward was most jealous of was my ability to control things with my thoughts. It didn't work on humans but I was able to move objects of all sizes where I wanted without lifting a finger.

"Funny you should ask that question actually," he looked nervous, though it was cool to have all of these special abilities it posed a threat not only to myself but the whole coven. If the Vulturi were to learn of my abilities it was a given that they would come looking for us. "Today while you were out I saw something. Something that didn't actually happen until an hour or so after I saw it."

"No way! You can see the future like Alice? Bella, where is all of this coming from? First Jane and I can't use our talents on you and now you can do all these things that no one else ever could, it just doesn't make any sense." He seemed more confused than angry but often his frustration turned into anger. It always bothered him when he couldn't have the answers to everything. "We need to tell Carlisle about this before the Vulturi find out because if they do we are going to need to stand up to them all together."

The thought of the Vulturi always sent chills up my spine. "Do you really think they'll come after us?" I knew they would, it was a given. They had already gone after Edward and Alice because of the skills they possessed; it was only a matter of time.

"I know they will. But I don't want you to worry about it, ok? You know I won't let anything ever happen to you, even if I need to make sacrifices to keep you safe." The tone in his voice scared me, it was grave. Was he really going to have to sacrifice himself to save me in the end? I wouldn't let him.

All of a sudden an image invaded my mind and I was forced to focus hard on what I was seeing. The image started off dark and began to get brighter, there was a frozen span of land covered in ice and snow and there were five dots moving quickly across it. I couldn't clearly see what it was but I had a pretty good idea.

"Bella, what is it?" He recognized the look that came across my face and as he asked the question Alice and Jasper walked in.

"What's wrong with Bella?" Alice looked confused at first but after seeing the look on my face she understood.

"We need to leave! I'm not positive but I think they have caught our track and the pack will be here before the end of the day." I was already moving nervously. The one thing I couldn't do better than Edward was stay calm in situations like this, the one thing I had always wanted.

"What are we going to do? It looked like they were going to get here before the sun even started to descend and the sun is going to set in an hour!" Alice looked at me for a minute and a look of surprise crossed her face but we didn't have time to discuss the latest skill I had gained.

As usual Edward was perfectly calm and he already had a plan. "We can't keep running. If there is only five of them then if the rest of the family comes we will be able to take them down easily. The phone was to Alice's ear and she was talking to Carlisle before Edward had even finished his sentence.

A new vision came into view the second Alice was off the phone with Carlisle, "They will make it just in time. How are we going to do this?"

"You aren't going to do anything! It isn't safe, especially since you are so inexperienced." I wasn't letting him stop me from fighting with the rest of them.

"I will fight. You have all protected me long enough, now that I can fight I will, Edward you aren't going to stop me!" I was angry with him for even suggesting that I sit back while they all risked their lives for me.

"If Jacob is there Bella do you really think you would be able to kill him. I know you still love him and I don't think we should risk you changing sides on us. He wouldn't save you so why should you save him." He brought up a good point and I was speechless, I didn't have an answer. "Maybe it would be best for us to leave for now, give us some more time to think of a better plan. If things don't go to plan we may have a bigger problem on our hands."

This time it was me who got on the phone first, "Carlisle, we are leaving the house, it's better to give ourselves more time before facing them. Time to get stronger." A plan had already formed in my head, "meet us in Phoenix, they wouldn't expect us to go there and they can't walk around there in their werewolf forms."

Alice, Jasper and Edward were all staring at me in disbelief. Why was it always surprising when I came up with a good idea? Within minutes we were out of the house and swimming through the Pacific Ocean towards Phoenix.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The sun was rising in the sky when we finally reached the land again. We checked into the nearest hotel to ensure that we stayed out of the sun and didn't draw attention to ourselves. When we got in I decided it would be a good idea to call Renee and Charlie. I called them about once a week so they wouldn't get suspicious of my prolonged absence. Renee answered the phone on the second ring and we talked for nearly an hour, mainly about Phil and the new signing he had with the Florida Marlins.

When we finally hung up I decided I should probably call Charlie, our conversations were usually much shorter and he wouldn't have left for work yet. The phone was picked up after the first ring, which was strange for Charlie because there was usually a game on the TV and the phone was in the other room. When the voice came on the phone it didn't sound quite right.

"Bella, so nice to speak to you again. Listen, I am here with your father. Don't worry, we didn't tell him about anything, best to keep those kinds of things a secret. However, if we want to keep this our little secret you need to come back to Forks with your little boyfriend and meet us in the clearing. You know the one; I hear you met Marcus there during your little party." It was Aro; I would recognize that voice anywhere. I looked over at Edward and I could tell he was listening in on the conversation, which wasn't difficult since the phone in the hotel was louder than it needed to be.

"We will be there soon, just don't hurt Charlie, please." I hung up the phone quickly and made sure that everyone understood what had just gone on over the phone. "Edward, we need to go back, I can't let them hurt Charlie and I don't think he was bluffing."

"The Vulturi aren't known for bluffing, when they make a threat they stick to it. I guess we're going to have to head back to Forks but we need to wait until the rest of them come and meet us here. If we are going to stand a chance against them we need to be a united front." Edward was right and no matter how hard it would be, it was safer for everyone if we waited to meet them.

"Alright, let's keep an eye on the news in case the Vulturi make a hasty decision that Alice and I don't catch. Esme and the others should be here in a couple hours so we don't have to wait long." Although I spoke confidently, my brave face wasn't getting past Edward. He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. I rested my head on his chest and melted in his arms. He caught me before I fell and picked me up to carry me to the couch where I sat curled up in his arms until the knock came on the door.

The second I had heard their approach the door was open and they were walking in. Before we left we needed to make some very important decisions and decide exactly what the Vulturi wanted. We dissected the conversation with Aro piece by piece until we realized that right now they did not wish to harm us, all they wanted was for me to join their coven. Since there was no chance of that, we were going to need to find a way to convince them I wouldn't be a right fit.

When we were about to set off for Forks Edward pulled me aside, "I promise I won't let them take you, I don't think I could bare to live one second without you. If you go I go too, but that is the absolute worst case scenario."

"No," he looked confused, "the worst case scenario would be if one of us ended up hurt, or worse, dead."

"That won't happen." He bent forward and pressed his lips against mine, we stayed like that for a few minutes before Carlisle came to interrupt.

"I'm sorry guys, but we really need to get going if we want to make it there by the end of the day. Esme and I will go in the Volvo with you guys while Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper go in the Porsche. That way if the Volturi make any long term decisions we will both be informed as soon as the plans are set in place." The plan sounded good enough to me. I was glad Edward and I would not be separated like we had been so many times before. No matter what happened we would not be out of each other's sights for one second, not if I had a choice in the matter.

Once in the car I curled up with Edward and we discussed possible ways in which we could convince the Volturi that having me in their coven would be a bad idea. Any ideas we came up with on the ride were quickly shot down because we couldn't come up with anything that sounded convincing enough. The truth was that I was exactly what they wanted, I had special talents and it seemed that I was nearly indestructible.

When we arrived at the clearing it seemed to be deserted. Neither Edward nor myself could hear any thoughts other than those of Esme and Carlisle and eventually the other four as well. It was strange to see that they weren't there; as we stood in the clearing none of us spoke. The family used their minds to communicate their thoughts to Edward and myself and I was used to passing important information to those that could not read minds. It was extremely exhausting and I eventually collapsed on the ground.

Edward was at my side just as new thoughts began to enter our minds. We both sat on the ground listening closely to the minds of whatever was approaching us, there were four of them. One was obviously Aro and I was sure I recognized the thoughts of Jane as she thought of torture. The other two were hard to distinguish but as they emerged from the trees I recognized them instantly. It was Marcus and Felix, the two that terrified me more than even Jane. Lucky for us, the four of them had trouble covering their thoughts from us giving us a slight advantage over them.

"Well, well, well... I'm surprised you came. It took us a while to track down Charlie and with your calls being so infrequent it was hard for us to finally track you down." He had a smirk on his face that would have made my blood boil, if I had any. For once I had the urge to kill.

The Cullen family had formed a tight barrier keeping all sides of me blocked from the access of the Volturi. Even as a vampire they felt the need to protect me. If that isn't true love I don't know what is. The protection they provided me gave me the strength to speak calmly with Aro.

I had to choose my words carefully, "Of course we came. How could we ignore the request of one of the most powerful vampires in the world? The real question is, what is the purpose of this meeting?" he obviously didn't know about my ability to read minds because he didn't attempt to hide anything with his mind. The second I asked the question the answer was right there for me to read clearly.

If he didn't know about my one strength the thought entered my mind that maybe they really didn't know about any of my special abilities. I decided to test my theory, "So what makes you so interested in me, I'm just a normal vampire, nothing special about me."

"Well you see that is where you are wrong. The truth is we were trying to use you to get to Edward but when we went to track you down Demetri was unable to find you. This has never happened before so we have a feeling there is something special about you that will make you a wonderful addition to our coven." He was trying to be tactful in his answer but it wasn't working as well as he'd hoped.

"I'm sorry Aro but I'm already part of a coven and I am quite happy to stay right where I am." This was obviously the wrong thing to say. Aro wasn't used to not getting his way and he wasn't going to let me go without a fight. "If you don't agree to come with us we cannot let you live another day, you are far too strong."

It was strange to read his reaction to my refusal. Too strong? I posed a threat to the strongest group of vampires in the world? But how? None of this made any sense and as I stood there facing my enemy I was more confused than I had ever been.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As I stood in front of Aro, Edward stood in front of me blocking me from the view of Aro. A thought came to mind. If he was afraid of me there must be some reason for it, was I really more indestructible than I had previously believed? It was a theory I decided to test. I began to walk forward toward Aro. As I pushed passed Edward he reached his hand out and grabbed me.

"What do you think you are doing Bella? I told you, we aren't going to let them take you, now please, get back behind me." I looked deep in his eyes, trying to tell him that I had a plan. When he didn't seem to understand I ripped my hand from his, the look of hurt that crossed his face tore me up inside but I didn't have time to comfort him right now.

"So, have you decided to join us Bella? You would make a wonderful addition to our coven and I'm sure you would enjoy yourself." I stopped where I was, halfway between the Vulturi and the Cullen's. What I was about to say would determine the outcome of the entire day.

"Aro, I will not leave my husband to join you. I ask that you understand my feelings toward your group. My respect for you is great but I cannot be a part of a coven that practices feeding on the blood of humans. It is against everything I believe and I think you would find yourselves throwing me out of the coven soon after I joined you." Aro and the others began to laugh and then they turned serious.

"Bella, if you choose to not join the coven I will have no choice but to kill you. It is for your own good to come with us now. If you don't I'm afraid I will have no choice but to let Jane have her way with you." Edward couldn't take the torture anymore as he jumped up from behind me and attacked Aro.

"Stop! Edward!" we all rushed forward to pull Edward off but the two of them were already going at it, moving so quickly that none of us could be sure who we would grab.

As the two of them fought each other the remainder of us stood by and watched. There was nothing we could do and neither side wished to fight until we saw the outcome of this battle. For a while it seemed that Edward was stronger than Aro but in one smooth motion Edward was thrown almost 100 meters in the air right towards a tree. Before he hit the ground I was there to catch him. He looked pretty torn up but he healed quickly and within a minute he was struggling to get out of my arms.

"Let me kill him! You heard his plans; they want to torture you to death. That Jane has a vivid image of it in her mind and I won't let her put you through that kind of torture!" he was furious and it was hard to restrain him but the fight had taken enough out of him that I was able to manage.

"Please, for once Edward, let me fight my own battle! I have a feeling that my strength is too much for her anyways, I will be safe!" I called Alice and Jasper over and had them hold down Edward while I went to confront the four of them. No one knew what to do with the situation.

"I want to keep this between us. Leave my coven alone and do with me what you will." This time it was Carlisle that stepped in but I pushed him back before he could do or say anything.

Aro motioned to Jane to come forward and I readied myself in case my theory proved wrong. Everyone watched as she advance and focused hard on me, nothing happened. When we had been in Italy it had been Edward who had stepped between us but now like before there was nothing. Jane's face became one of frustration, for some reason all the special talents of those around me were useless when used against me. Though it made no sense, it didn't matter. I was safe from their torture and they weren't safe from mine.

As the four of them came closely together to discuss what they were going to do to me a horrible smell passed over the clearing. It was a smell that I remembered from a number of weeks ago and it meant trouble. The Volturi turned in horror in the direction of the scent. Werewolves were our one natural enemy and they weren't here to have a party, they were here to kill me. I doubted that my talents would defeat them as easily as the Volturi.

The pack emerged from the trees a minute later, all eyes directed at me. They looked furious that we had avoided contact with them for so long. As I searched the pack there was one wolf missing, my favourite red brown haired dog and for that I was thankful. This experience would have been much worse if my feelings got in the way.

Everything happened all at once in a flurry of confusion. Small battles were occurring throughout the clearing. One of the wolves had dove towards me and Aro had stepped in to take on the dog. As another leaped at me Alice attacked and they had their own small battle. It was weird to see the Volturi fighting the dogs with such grace and yet they were furious. All either group wanted was to kill me but now they were fighting each other. Both sides wanted the enjoyment of knowing they had killed me and neither was going to let that opportunity slip by them.

There were four Volturi, six werewolves and eight of us. As each of us found someone to battle the remainders were left to me and Edward, who refused to leave my side. Carlisle and Esme were fighting against Jane, Marcus and the light brown dog while Alice and Jasper were up against two of the dark brown dogs that seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with their fast movements. Rosalie and Emmett were out of my sight but I assumed that they were against the remaining dog and Felix. Aro was fighting to get at me but Edward and were far too fast for him to catch us.

The dogs didn't stand a chance. Although my telekinesis was completely useless on humans it seemed to work on animals. As the dog I recognized as Sam leaped towards me, he was thrown back into a tree, which I proceeded to wrap around him. As he struggled to get up Aro launched himself in my direction at the exact same time as Quil, the light grey dog decided to leap on me. I was hit to the ground hard but was barely fazed by it. I pushed them off and dug my teeth deep into Quil who yelped in pain.

Edward turned his attention on to Aro who he began to battle, moving farther and farther away from my side. When I had carefully dismembered each part of the dead dog I placed the pieces in a pile and lit them on fire. The thick smoke rose in several places around the clearing but Edward was nowhere to be seen.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As Sam came towards me I threw him back at the tree and knocked him out, it was hard to hurt people I had once been close to but this was war. After burning their remains I went to help the others finish their opponents. The pack was wiped out first and all six were burning in piles around the clearing. Marcus was dead and Jane and Felix had retreated after Aro disappeared, it was just the seven of us left in the clearing and we all met in the middle observing the damage that had been done and making sure everyone was accounted for. Edward was nowhere in sight.

The family surrounded me commenting on how well I had fought in the battle and discussing all the new talents I seemed to have acquired. Emmett was the most impressed of them all, "That was crazy how you threw that dog into the tree and then wrapped the tree around him. I've never seen anything like it!"

Jasper spoke next, sounding equally amazed, "And when you were facing Jane, how was it that her power didn't work on you. From the look on your face it seemed like you knew nothing was going to happen. "

"Guys! Isn't anyone worried about Edward? My husband has disappeared into the forest with Aro and we are standing here talking about what I did! We need to go and look for him!" I was in a state of panic and I wasn't going to hide that. "If anything happens to him I will never forgive myself!"

Esme came over and wrapped her arms around me protectively, "Bella, we are all worried about Edward but he is a big boy and he can look after himself. Anyways, it would be almost impossible to find them, they could be halfway to Australia by now."

Tears were welling up in my eyes from both anger and fear, "Edward promised me he wouldn't leave me and I won't leave him! I spent a long time navigating through these woods and if anyone is going to find him it will be me!" and with that I was running as fast as I could away from the family and into a world of trees that I really couldn't remember anything about. Once I entered the trees I slowed my pace and began to search for something, anything that would lead me to the only person that mattered to me in the whole world.

The anxiety set in after almost five minutes of running through the forest and still not coming across anything. Tears were still streaming down my face as my mind went through all the worst-case possibilities. What if he was badly injured? What if he was trapped somewhere? What if he was dead? I couldn't let myself think that way.

I sat on a log and tried to recollect my thoughts. Maybe if I concentrated on him hard then I would have a vision that led me to him. I closed my eyes and filled my mind with images of Edward but nothing came. As I sat there I heard the noise of someone approaching from behind me but their thoughts were blocked by all the images of Edward that now clouded my mind. I turned around and standing not five feet away was both Jane and Felix. They had obviously been out looking for Aro since they had first left the clearing.

Felix and Jane both seemed pleased to discover me alone. "What are you doing out here all alone? Where's your little boyfriend and the rest of your coven? Won't Aro be happy to hear that we managed to kill his prized pupil? And the torture Edward will go through will be icing on the cake, that is, if he isn't already dead."

When Felix spoke those words they made them even more real but by now I could hear into his thoughts and he was more afraid for Aro's safety than anything. Edward was a strong fighter, I knew that, and Felix obviously did too. Nonetheless, I realized I was in more danger now than I had ever been. With no one to protect me I was going to have to fight two very strong vampires until either they were both dead or I was.

As they walked closer towards me I held my ground crouching to the ground and preparing myself for their attack. Their minds gave many of their plans away and before Jane was able to jump on me I had already moved in the opposite direction sending her flying into the tree that was behind me. As she recovered from the fall Felix took advantage of my lapse in concentration and jumped on top of me. He held me to the ground but my strength was still fresh and I easily pushed him off.

They launched attack after attack on me attempting to tire me out but now that I was fighting to keep Edward alive and happy there was not going to be a single moment of weakness until someone was dead. Jane came at me with full speed and as she did so I reached out my arm and quickly wrapped my hands around he neck and twisted. Then I tore her up piece by piece. It was a barbaric action but all I could think about was Edward and how much trouble he could be in. I turned from the burning pile of body parts and went for my attack on Felix; he didn't have a chance. In one smooth motion I was on his back and my teeth sunk deep into his rock hard skin, tearing it to shreds.

Once the pieces had been properly burned and there was no chance of either of their returns I began to run. I had no idea where I was going but I new if I kept searching, eventually I would come across something that led me to Edward.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

For nearly an hour I ran blindly through the forest searching for the one thing that mattered. If anything had happened to him I knew that today would be my last day on earth, without him I could not live. Just as the terrifying thought of dying entered my mind I heard the sounds of fighting coming from not more than one hundred meters ahead of me. It had to be them, there was no one else for us to fight, I began to run full speed toward the noise. The scene was much like something I had seen before only this time Edward was against a new opponent and he was losing.

As I stood there watching the two vampires fight I saw Edward thrown hard into the mountain face. It made such a loud noise I was sure anyone within a hundred mile radius would be able to hear it. When Edward didn't move from his place on the ground I cried in agony. Up till that point Aro hadn't noticed me but he seemed to decide that it was best to leave Edward where he was and come after me. His thoughts laid out his plans for me and I wasn't about to let him put his plans into action.

With one last look at Edward, who lay still unmoving, I launched myself at Aro with all the force I could. "You will not hurt him anymore! He has saved my life thousands of times and now it's my turn!" At first he laughed but as I got closer and closer his face turned from enjoyment to pure horror. He was afraid of me.

Though I would have liked to torture him the way he had Edward on that day in Italy there were more important things than revenge. This needed to be done quickly before it was too late. Aro was a much better fighter than anyone I had ever fought against but I had one thing he didn't. Using all my power I successfully lifted a boulder that had been sitting not far behind Aro and dropped it on his head. During the moments of daze I made my move and in a matter of seconds he was a pile of ashes.

I didn't wait to make sure it was done properly; I didn't have time for that. Edward was still face down on the mountain ledge and he hadn't moved since his fall. As I ran over to him the rest of his family came from the forest, they had obviously heard the collision between Edward and the mountain face.

Once I got to Edward I took him into my arms and called Carlisle over to assess the damages, it didn't look good. The tears began to well in my eyes as Carlisle examined his son. Edward couldn't be dead, not after all we had been through!

Carlisle looked at me and called Esme and Alice over to sit with me while he spoke, his thoughts had said everything but I needed him to say it. "Bella, I'm sorry but I don't think he is going to make it, he's been torn to pieces and his body wasn't strong enough to hold up with all the injuries he has sustained." I wasn't hearing this, he couldn't be dead.

The only word I could yell was "No…" I took my husband in my arms and held him in my lap. I bent forward to kiss him and as I did my tears flowed evenly over his face and down his neck. This wasn't happening, it was all a dream, no, a nightmare. I would wake up soon to see his smiling face looking up at me, telling me everything was ok.

Esme and Alice pulled me from him and began to carry me away from the body, "I WILL NOT LEAVE HIM! Alice, Esme, someone, please just kill me, I cant live without him in my life."

As the family watched and listened in horror to my pleas of agony no one noticed what was occurring behind them. When I looked back at Edward his eyes were open, blurry, but open. "Edward!"

"Bella, he's dead and we aren't going to let you kill yourself, he wouldn't have wanted that." Alice and the others had obviously misunderstood my cry.

I ripped myself from their arms and ran to Edward, he was alive and breathing. "Edward, I'm right here and I will never leave you, it's all going to be ok."

The family came up behind me and finally realized what I had noticed minutes ago. They all rejoiced happily and after Carlisle gave him the all clear they left us to be alone for a few minutes.

"Bella," he strained to say my name and I placed my hand over his mouth keeping him from speaking.

"Don't talk, its ok. We will have plenty of time to talk when we get home." He took my hand from his face and leaned his face forward. For once I wasn't the one who needed the assistance and I knew what he wanted. I leaned forward taking his head in my hands and kissed him softly at first, letting him decide how much was too much for him. He kissed me like he had on our wedding day and it was magical. "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you."

"Let's not think about that." He struggled to say the words but he placed his hands on mine to keep me from stopping him. "I love you Bella and I am so proud of you." That was all he could get out of him and I leant down to pick him up and carry him back home, where he belonged.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

It took a couple of days for Edward to go back to normal. The injuries he had gotten during his fight with Aro seemed to have a long lasting effect. During his time in bed I refused to leave his side for even a minute. We discussed our plans for the future, after all we had been through in the past month it was a mutual decision that we remain in Forks for another year or so and keep schooling for later.

Most of the family stayed out of our way during the few days after the war. Alice, Esme and Carlisle came in to check on us every once and a while but for the most part it was just the two of us. The shock and horror of what I had done didn't come to me until a day or so after. When I thought about killing the entire pack I was horrified; they had all been my friends and allies at one time. What would Jacob do when he found out about this? The images of dismembered body parts haunted my thoughts for many days after but every time I even looked at Edward I knew it was all worth it.

Once Edward was finally able to get up and live life as normal we decided it would be a good idea for him and myself to pay Charlie a visit. It had been so long since I had last spoken to him and I was sure he and Renee were both worried for my welfare.

We arrived at the house in our brand new Bugatti Veyron, which I had bought for Edward as a get well soon present. Supposedly it was a car he had had his eyes on for a very long time now. If he could have chosen the car over me I am almost positive he would have.

Charlie was expecting our visit because I had called ahead of time to make sure he was home when we visited. As we drove into the driveway he came through the door to greet us. It was almost winter so he was all wrapped up in his big black police jacket. "Bella, it feels like a long time since I've seen you. You seem to have grown up so much in the past couple of months." He turned his attention from me to acknowledge Edward, "it seems you have done a good job taking care of my daughter, I've never seen her as happy and healthy as she looks right now."

Although Charlie was attempting to hide his fascination with the car it was obvious both in his thoughts and on his face that he would love to take a ride. "Hey dad, what do you think of our new car? Pretty nice right? Edward will have to show you how it runs before we leave, it's amazing." He seemed to perk up instantly.

"That would be great but let's get in out of the cold and catch up for a while." Charlie wasn't usually much of a talker so it didn't surprise me when the visit only lasted an hour and a half. I decided to make dinner for him before we left so while they went out driving the car I stayed back in the kitchen. It felt just like old times but I didn't miss it, my new life with Edward was something I would never give up; it was too perfect.

Once the guys got back I had dinner all set out for Charlie and Edward and I left after saying our final goodbyes.

When we arrived back at our new house the rest of the family was sitting in our living room. There was obviously a matter they wished to discuss because they rarely came and surprised us all at one time.

"Hey guys! How is Charlie? I haven't seen him in forever. Does he miss me yet?" Alice had always been a favourite of Charlie's and we had to admit he had brought her up in conversation a few times during our visit.

"What is all of this? Why do we need to all sit down and have a conversation about me?" Their thoughts were all focused on me and I had a feeling I knew why.

"Well Bella, we have all been thinking and it doesn't make any sense why you would have all of these powers. It has never been heard of in the entire history of vampires." Strangely enough I had been thinking about the same thing over the past few days and I had actually come up with a theory that I could find no problems with.

"Funny you guys should bring this up because I think I have figured it all out."' They all looked at me with surprise, which turned quickly into genuine interest. "I think the reason that I am so powerful is because of Edward."

"Because of me?" confusion passed over everyone's faces so I decided to get straight to the point.

"It is obvious, that from the first day Edward and I met we were drawn to each other by some unknown force. No matter what we did we couldn't help but want to see and be near each other. When that car almost hit me Edward went and protected me and I think that each time he protected me he created a shield around me. This may be far fetched but I think that Edward created a protective barrier around me and when he bit me and I willingly let myself become one of you it only made that stronger. His love has made me strong and for some reason my willingness to become a vampire and my knowing of everything ahead of time allowed me to keep control even when I was in a most vulnerable state."

That was all I had thought up and the family stared at me like I had three heads, all except for Carlisle. "You know what, I think I have actually heard of a case much like Bella's that occurred many years before my time. This, in reality is a very good explanation. Anyone have any objections?"

No one answered and Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me close, "As long as you are safe that is all that matters to me."

The family left shortly after, having found the answers they were looking for. That night Edward and I were able to spend another night like that of our wedding. This was the first time since then that we had been able to be so close. The Volturi were afraid of us and we had wiped out most of the Quileute pack, there was nothing more for us to worry about. For once we were not put in a place of danger and we could live a fairly normal life together for all of eternity.


End file.
